Category Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Breakthrough…

27 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by in Hs2, London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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05:40

After a lovely evening in Clapham where I spent time with Irish friends on an Internet chat group it’s time to come back to the real world and head off to the Chilterns to record a major event in the construction of High Speed 2. Today, the one of the two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will break-through and complete the first of the two 10 mile long Chiltern tunnels and I’m privileged to have been invited along to witness it. But first I’ve got to get across London and out to Great Missenden.

Here’s how the South portal of the tunnel looked in July 2021.

08:00.

My cross-London journey was stress free as I keft in plenty of time. Hassard had to be on the 07:15 from Euston so the pair of us were up early. I caught a train into Victoria then used the Circle and Bakerloo lines to get to Marylebone. I rarely use the underground nowadays, preferring to stick to national rail – or even walk. What a difference compared to when I lived here when I’d often spend several days a week traversing the tube. Some things haven’t changed, such as the ancient Bakerloo line stock which is well past its sell-by date. It’s a sad reflection on this Government’s priorities (they have some, other than being re-elected? Ed) that our capital city has such aged trains in daily service with no sign of replacements.

Now I’m making my way on younger stock, the 1992 built ‘Thames Turbos” to Great Missenden.

09:20.

On the way..

10:08.

In position…

10:20.

There’s a real party atmosphere here. HS2’s set up a barbecue area and staff who’ve been working on the project are taking selfies in front of the tunnel.

11:27.

It’s here!

13:55.

Wow! What an amazing event and what a privilege to be part of it. I’ll add more pictures (and a video) this evening. The atmosphere was brilliant as workers from all around the world celebrated together. You can see the flags of the nations workers hail from either side of the TBM. The crew were Irish whilst the TBM ‘driver’ was a young Frenchwoman.

Right now I’m on my way back into London the slow way. Myself, Youtube star Geoff Marshall and Modern Railways Philip Sherratt were given a lift to the station at Great Missenden only to find no trains were running due to a track defect. Instead the minibus driver took us to Amersham where we caught a Met line.

18:45.

Homeward bound up the West Coast Main Line to Manchester after a long day and the mobile office is open and in full swing…

22:00.

Home again! It’s been a long old day so I’ll leave you with a last couple of pictures that I edited on the way home. There’s literally hundreds for me to edit over the next few days, so watch this space.

Breakthrough! After 3 years tunnelling 16km, ‘Florence’ emerges into the sunlight.
The TBM crew pose on the cutting head after the machine had come to a halt. Now ‘Florence’ will be stripped down. What can be refurbished and reused in other TBMs will be, what can’t will be recycled as scrap.

And finally, a short video…

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. West coast wandering…

26 Monday Feb 2024

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

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09:45.

Today’s adventure has started from Sowerby Bridge as I’m heading across the Pennines to spend time on the West Coast Main Line en-route to London.

Right now I’m aboard a very busy 09:22 to Chester which is currently threading its way through the Calder Valley. The train’s full of leisure travellers rather than commuters although one or two of my fellow passengers appear to be working on the train. Not so the two young Chinese women in front of me, who’re clearly out for day. Manchester bound for the shops or to historic Chester I wonder?

09:55.

We’ve broken throgh the barrier of the Pennines into Lancashire and (as is often the case) different weather. Whilst cloud dominated the West Yorkshire skies the sunshine’s breaking through more scattered formations here.

As usual, our stop at Rochdale provided plenty of traffic. Several dozen folk were waiting to board. Now this train’s standing room only. It’s not that there’s not still a few seats available, it’s that they’re occupied by bags and some people would rather stand than ask people to move them!

12:30.

Back again! After a dash across central Manchester on foot I hung around at Piccadilly long just long enough to get a handful of shots. The station was surprisingly quiet both from a passenger and fleet perspective. Avanti hadn’t got a single Pendolino platformed which suggested their was trouble on the WCML somewhere. Sure enough, an inbound set arrived over 10 minutes late and despite crews best efforts it left 12 down – only with me on board as far as Crewe.

As is often the case Crewe had some unusual visitors. I narrowly missed getting shots of A4 steam loco ”Sir Nigel Gresley’ which chugged South with its support coach just as I arrived. A more modern (but equally redundent) visitor was an Alstom built Class 175. Latterly in store at Holyhead, it was making its way from Crewe Gresty Bridge to Barton Under Needwood. God knows why.

Ah, thanks to my old friend and colleague Richard Clinnick I now know why. The 175s are having remidial work carried out to them before they head to Ely for further storage. The trains are owned by Angel and Ely is their storage centre.

14:30. Having diverted via the Stour and bimbled around Birmingham (only to find the weather not to my liking I’m now on a direct train to Euston from Coventry – with yet more variety. This *should* have been an Avanti Pendolino. Instead it’s a pair of Voyagers! Ah, well. – at least the power sockets are working, unlike the unrefurbished Pendolino I travelled on from Crewe to Birmingham. The set swap has clearly confused many passengers who got on at Cov’ as the two trains are very different in layout. I don’t envy anyone who’s booked seats in ‘standard plus’ as they ain’t gonna find it! Don’t expect a full meal service on 1st either…

16:00.

Bugger! I had blogged from the train earlier but the wifi hung, so what I’d written never appeared. What I’d talked about was how thw weather had picked up and that – despite the Pendolino being substituted for a Voyager – what a good trip it was, helped by the fact it was a quiet train. That said. I do prefer the ‘old’ Voyagers compared to the stripped out Cross-Country version. I felt quite nostalgic visiting a proper shop/cafe on one.

Now I’m in London. Having had chance to get a few shots and with one eye on the improving late-afternoon weather I’m aboard one of the new Class 730s heading for Watford Junction. I’m quite impressed with these sets. The wide gangways make for an open feel but I’m not entirely sure about the table bays either side. OK, there’s a window view from one side but the other’s a real bulkhead experience – although it’ll be ideal if all you want to do is work without distractions.

Is it me, or do the front end of these trains feel rather ‘butch’? They certainly don’t have the graceful lines of some other newcomers.

Great for working. Not so great for window-gazing.

23:55.

Last update. I’ve been busy in London so haven’t had time to update this blog until now. That wasn’t the plan, but when I arrived at my old friend’s flat in Clapham we ended up getting embroiled in an internet discussion group on Irish railways which included other old friends. Thankfully, we didn’t have to cook as I brought a food parcel from West Yorkshire in the form of Thai green curry and rice. Yeah – I know – It’s hardly standard Yorkshire fare, but it is for us!

Now it’s time to call it a night as I’ve a silly o’ clock start tomorrow which will prove to be an interesting day – as you’ll see. In the meantime, here’s a last couple of pictures..

Tell me that you’re in London without telling me you’re in London…
Anyone who’s used Euston station in the BR era may remember this site as it was the location of one of the old Travelers Fare kiosks, long before all the food options that arrived later.

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. Metropolitan meandering…

20 Tuesday Feb 2024

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

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10:00.

Having had an enjoyable evening with an old friend I’m taking time to explore some old haunts and byways of the capital – and a new train. Old friends brought me from Clapham to Waterloo.

Life in the old girls yet. 4 years after they should have gone to the scrapyard the BR built Class 455s still carry passengers in and out of London Waterloo.

Now I’m waiting to join one of their replacements – albeit four years later than planned! The Bombardier class 701 ‘Arterio’ has finally entered service, but only in a very limited fashion. They work a diagram on the line from Waterloo to Windsor, and I’m about to catch one…

10:11.

I can’t quite believe that 17 years have passed since I was photographing the very last Eurostar to depart from here the night before services moved to their new home at St Pancras.

11:00.

Well, I *was* planning on catching one of the new Arterios but SWR had other ideas. The service is running a ‘shadow’ path on the Windsor line, only today it decided not to play ball. Having arrived late the set was run as empty stock. I’m now chasing it in one of the Class 455s it was designed to replace. I’m hoping it’ll run back from Windsor as a service train and I can pick it up en-route. Watch this space…

Not an Arterio…

14:45.

S’cuse the gap but I’ve been moving – a lot! Having made it out to Staines in hot pursuit of the Arterio I managed to catch it on its way back from Windsor.

Not a 455…

First impressions? From a passenger’s perspective they’re not bad. They’re a modern train with all the amenities you’d expect and (unlike the 455s) they have toilets onboard.

17:30.

Grr…I’m now on my way back to Yorkshire via the West Coast Main Line on another Avanti Pendolino. I’d hoped to have been able to relax and spent some time blogging my thoughts, but the wifi’s knackered, leaving me typing on my phone which is hardly conducive to reporting on all the things I’ve been up to today. Plus, I’ve enjoyed the lengthening days and the opportunity to watch the (flooded) world go by so blogging was taking a backseat until now.

I’ve certainly had an interesting couple of days. As an ex-Londoner I’ve been surprised at how quieter the city seems right now. Euston yesterday and Clapham Junction today were far quieter than they used to be. But then – when I catch a train to faze into people’s back garden and see all the home offices/sheds folk have built that’s hardly surprising. The world of work’s evolved. Especially office work.

Another thing I noticed which was also really annoying was the fact so many folk wander around whilst completely disconnected from this world. I’m not talking about the ones who never look up from staring at their smartphones (although they’re bad enough) but the ones who compound that by wearing earbuds or headphones as well – so deprive themselves of another of their senses. Several tines I had to stop on station stairs as the person coming up them was too busy staring at a screen whilst listening to whatever they had playing via their headphones to engage with the real world and realise someone (me) was stood in their way. I’ve started doing it deliberately now just to see their reaction when reality intrudes on them. Is it just me getting old, or do other folk find this annoying?

17:50.

We’ve just left Stoke (on Trent) on our way to Manchester and I’ve realised I’m back in the wet weather band. Bugger! It’s been so mild these past few days I’ve ditched my waterproof. Walking home could be fun…

22:15.

Fortunately, I made it home without getting soaked. My timing was impeccable as I arrived in Manchester after the rain had departed. It was the same story back in Halifax. Now I’m relaxing with my feet up, editing one or two pictures to finish this blog off with. Here’s a look at the interior of this beastie.

701037 calls at Staines on its return working to Waterloo.
Lino flooring and basic seats without seatback tables or armrests but there’s plenty of plug sockets and some small tables. The overall impression is that the sets are spacious. They also seem reasonably quiet and the ride was good. I suspect passengers will like them provided they prove to be reliable.

I’ll be adding many more pictures to my Zenfolio website over the next few days, but for now – it’s goodnight!

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. Plan B…

19 Monday Feb 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:00.

Due to events mentioned yesterday today’s trip to London is less of an imperative so my plans have changed. Now, I can take time to track down a certain train in order to get some internal shots for a magazine. That means heading over to Manchester this morning. Thankfully, the high winds we suffered overnight have abated. I was beginning to wonder if the day was going to go pear-shaped straight away if there was storm damage on the West Coast Main Line. Fortunately, everything seems fine, which is just as well as the train I’m hunting started its day in Glasgow. It’s currently en-route to London.

Feel free to pop back later to see what I get up to (and where).

10:38.

I’m on the move. Having strolled down to Sowerby Bridge sans hat and gloves due to temperatures making it into double figures I’m now aboard Northern’s 10:23 to Chester via Manchester Victoria. Tody the service is made up from a pair of 2-car Class 195s so there’s plenty of space aboard – at least for now.

Sunshine in Sowerby Bridge.

14:30.

Apologies for the gap but I’ve been rather busy and it’s only now that I’m heading South that I’ve found time to take a break on a train with working wifi!

I was kept busy in and around Manchester stocking up on library shots of the refurbished interiors of some of the new Avanti Pendolinos. It was a bit of a hit and miss game as not every set has been refurbished, but as there’s three trains an hour into Piccadilly the odds are in my favour! As it is, I struck lucky early on so had to to ride a couple between Manchester and Stockport before a last change at Stoke-On-Trent. You’ll be able to read the full train test (written by my old friend Pip Dunn) in a forthcoming edition of RAIL magazine. Right now I’m on another refurbished Pendolino heading South to London. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the refurb when the first sets came our but I have to admit I’m beginning to warm to them – and certainly see the advantages when I’m using them as a mobile office. The table layout with all their mains and USB sockets (plus an induction charger for mobile phones buried in the table top) is much more efficient – as is the sockets buried in the seat back in front of you when you’re sitting in an airline seat. The new two-part tables are good too.

When I’ve have time to glance out of the window as we’ve passed through Staffordshire I’ve been taken aback at the amount of flooded fields. I know it’s been wet in the Pennines and the land wasn’t exactly dry when I was down this way the other month, but I’d have expected levels to have subsided by now.

15:30.

We’ve reached the outskirts of London. I’ve been busy editing pictures (I’ll add a couple when I get to Euston) whilst keeping one eye on the weather. The clouds have broken here in the outh and we have watery sunshine which may allow me some photographic opportunities. I’m still on a learning curve with the new camera, trying different settings and experimenting. One thing I’ve noticed is that the Nikon Z9 (because it has so many features) is much more menu-based that the older, simpler D5 so it’s not as instinctive. No doubt I’ll learn, but a learning curve it is.

16:00.

On arrival at Euston I couldn’t resist the temptation to try out one of the new Class 730s sat in an adjacent platform, so now I’m en-route to an old stomping ground: Watford Junction. I’ve not got time to fully explore this train but first impressions are positive – apart from the quirk that there are no armrests on the seats. Admittedly, that makes them feel more spacious, but on a long journey it could be a problem. On the plus side, there’s decent sized tables, plenty of power sockets and also wifi.

23:15

Welcome to the end. After what’s proved to be an interesting day it time to call it one. I met up with my old friend Hassard earlier and now the pair of us are relaxing at his gaffe in Clapham having enjoyed the home-made Lasagne and Bakewell Tart food parcel that Dawn supplied before I left Yorkshire!

The two of us met at Euston, which was an interesting experience as the place was so quiet compared to how I remember London. Hass’ explained that Monday’s become very quiet as it’s the day many people work from home. Thinking about it I can see the parallels in Yorkshire, it’s just the fact that in London – it’s writ large.

Anyway, it’s now time for me to sign off. I’ll leave you with a last couple of pictures from today. There’ll be a lot more tomorrow.

The changing face (and livery) of regional services from London Euston.
Going underground…

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. Driven by the wind….

26 Friday Jan 2024

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

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06:30

Quite literally! I’ve been woken several times through the night by howling wind beating against the front of the cottage as it blows, unobstructed across the valley. By 05:30 I decided there was no point in trying to get back to sleep so I’m already out and about, finishing my preparations for heading to London via a roundabout route – depending on what damage the latest storm may have done to the railways. At the moment our local line seems to be running fine apart from the odd cancellation, so we’ll see…

08:30.

I’m heading West today so the trip’s started with a walk downhill to Sowerby Bridge. The winds abated and there’s clear skies over the valley on what promises to be a lovely day – not that I’ll be around to see it. I’m currently on the 08:02 to Manchester which is worked by a pair of 2-car Class 158s.

First train of the day…

It’s a quiet train. Well, at least it is in the front car! That said, we’ve just crossed the Pennines to call at Littleborough where there’s a healthy number of passengers waiting for us.

10:30.

Having strolled across an unusually subdued Manchester city centre from Vic to Picc I caught a train to my next change point. Crewe. The station’s been a long-time haunt of mine. I first started comming here on my own as a young teenager. Needless to say – it’s changed a bit since 1973! My stay was brief – just long enough to grab a couple of shots and pick up my onward connection to my next port of call, Wolverhampton.

The Crewe station canopies were in a lot better condition in the 1970s. At least they had glass in them then!

I’m currently travelling on a London North-western Class 350. They’re fine as regional trains go but a bit plain vanilla nowadays. They don’t have tables, plug-sockets or USB ports, which is a bit ‘retro’ in 2024 but the seats (even if they are 3+2) are comfortable enough.

14:30.

I’m gradually making it down (or Up in railway parlence) along the West Coast Main Line. Delays were to be expected and one happened before Birmingham International where we were trapped for 13 mins by a new train that was on test but that had failed. Here’s the culprit.

“hello control. That new train you gave me? I’ve broken it”!

Next stops were bittersweet as they contain a lot of memories. First off was Coventry where I admired the classic 1960s station and looked askance at the modern (souless) addition which seems to be more a carpark with ticket barriers than a station.

Want atmosphere? Bring Oxygen tanks…

I hopped from Coventry to Rugby, a place I had a lot of happy connections with and where I spent Xmas and Boxing day 2005 stood in the tracks as the big blockade to rebuild the lines all went horribly wrong. A lot of the atmosphere has gone since I first got to know it. The cafe/bar on the island platform’s long gone…

Still, there’s always something of interest passing through and the station sees regular test trains as the new Class 730s are ‘run in’ like this one.

Not broken…

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. Hard hat required…

24 Wednesday Jan 2024

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

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06:16.

I’m preparing to head off to Birmingham which could be fun as the wind has been howling outside all night. At least it’s not been rattling the windows (we’ve had ’em all replaced) but I could be propelled on my way to the station this morning! I may need a hard hat for more than one reason today.

07:30.

My walk to the station was spent dodging the detritus of the latest storm. Stepping over failed fence panels and blown over safety fencing whilst crunching the odd tree branch underfoot. Atop Spring Edge I was entertained by the contents of people’s upturned recycling bins. Caught in vortices they danced and pranced like fighting cocks!

At least the rain held off until I was in sight of the station as an umbrella in this weather would have been an exercise in futility.

Now I’m aboard Northern’s 07:20 to Leeds made up of a pair of 2-car Class 195s. It’s a busy train carrying workers and students into either Bradford or Leeds.

At least the vestibules are roomy on 195s…

08:45.

Oh, joy! I’m ‘doing a Jeremy Corbyn’ in a vestibule of Cross-Country’s 08:11 from Leeds to Bristol via Birmingham. It’s a rammed 4-car Voyager, completely unsuitable and inadequate for modern Intercity travel between some of our major cities.

At least the toilet we’re forced to stand next to isn’t stinking. Yet…

What makes me angry? This is all we have for the forseeable future because of the incompetent bunch in charge of the country. In 9 years time we *should* have had a modern, high-capacity, high-speed railway opening, but the Tories cancelled it and ‘Mr helicopter’ Rishi Sunak then wrnt on to can the alternative via Manchester. Another irony? Due to more government penny-pinching the trains that used to provide extra capacity on this line have all been sold off and are now running in Mexico!

09:00.

Whoopee! At Sheffield I managed to find a perch in a luggage rack in coach C. It’s mayhem as people try to claim their reserved seats in a car were there’s far more punters than cushions.

10:55.

Arrived. And so it starts…

13:00.

Here’s a taster of what I’m seeing.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street gave several interviews to TV companies as he celebrated the official launch of construction of the station at Curzon St.

17:15.

Wow! What a fascinating day. Whilst one section of the media came and went by lunchtime as they were only there to cover West Midlands Mayor Andy Street’s speech on the official start of work on Curzon St station (and words on the future of HS2 to Manchester) the rest of us hung on for a full tour of the site which included a reip up yo the train deck as well as a wander to the South-Eastern end of the site where two massive bridges (one already under construction) will cross over road and rail links. Some of the facts and figures of construction were amazing. Like many HS2 sites, what uou see above ground is like the tip of an iceberg. I’ll be adding some more pics later.

Right now I’m heading North via Cross-Country again, only this time via Manchester…

22:00.

Home again! On my way home I stopped off to see an old friend and colleague who was staying in Stockport for work. We had time for a quick drink and catch up before I made my way back into Manchester to swap between stations to make my way home. Having already completed more than 25,000 steps I was very happy with Dawn’s offer to pick me up from the station and save me making that 30k!

Now i’m preparing to switch off for the evening but I did promise I’d post a last couple of shots from today’s visit, so here they are – shot on my new Z9.

We were given access to the bridge decks, which gives a very different view of the site. This is the second deck away from the existing West Coast Main Line into New St. In a few years time I’d be standing in the middle of the ‘four foot’!
One of the massive weathered steel viaduct supports made in Bolton, Lancashire and assembled on site before being welded together. The details of the construction of these piers is quite a story. The tolerances involved in some of it is as little as 1mm.

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. Wending my way to Wendover…

11 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Buckinghamshire, Hs2, London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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06:25.

04:15, what a time to be alive! Well, half asleep really as that was the time my alarm clock went off this morning. Dragging my bones out of bed I had an hour to prepare and get myself out of the door before beginning my walk to the station. To be honest, it was one of the best strolls I’ve had for a while. I was in no hurry and the weather was mild (3 degrees) and dry. Whilst strolling up the hill to Spring Edge I looked back across the Calder Valley and the lights of Sowerby Bridge which looked lovely and peaceful. I was momentarily confused when I saw the lights of a 6-car train wending its way below me as nothing should have been running. Then it revved up its engines and the distinctive deep roar reverberating across a sleepy valley gave away the fact this was a pair of Trans-Pennine Class 185s on a diversion. I didn’t pass a soul on the way into town. Even the dog-walkers and their pets were still abed. Even the roads were quiet with just the occasional motorist around. Actually, it really was a good time to be alive…

The centre of Halifax at 05:30. Not a creature was stirring…

Now I’m on Northern’s 05:59 to Leeds. Despite the hour it’s a busy train. Dozens of folk were waiting to catch it at Halifax and many more have joined at Bradford Interchange. Of the 15 seats in the back of the rear car 11 are occupied. I suspect they may fill up before Leeds…

06:50.

My Hebden Bridge – Leeds train was early into Leeds, a rare event as normally you expect to be held outside waiting for a platform, but at this time of day there’s less chance of delays having accrued. This was fortunate as I managed to get ahead of myself by 20 minutes as I made a connection with LNER’s 06:40 to Kings Cross. I’ve now got the mobile office set up in a table bay ready to catch up with the day. At this point I’ve realised the flask of coffee I made to bring with me is still sitting on the kitchen work surface back at home. Bugger! Off to the on-board shop it is then…

08:25.

The arrival of dawn coincided with us passing Peterborough at speed. Supposedly, the days are getting longer but that’s not how it felt today. Now we’re bowling along South of St Neots in half-light past flooded fields that bare testament to just how much rain we’ve been having these past couple of months. The sun’s doing its best to break through the low, patch cloud so I’m optimistic we might get some good weather in Wendover by the time I get there. In the meantime, it’s warm and cosy aboard this train for the next 20 odd minutes before we reach London…

08:30.

I’m always fascinated by the way the weather works. After passing Hitchin we crossed into what’s obviously been a cold front. Everywhere (houses, cars and fields) is coated in a layer of frost so thick you could almost mistake it for a light dusting of snow. What a difference to the mild weather I had on my walk this morning!

08:40.

We’re in the North London suburbs. Having broken through the layer of cloud bordering the capital we’re once more enjoying clear blue skies.

09:55.

On arrival at Kings Cross I transferred to the ‘tube’, or in this case the old Metropolitan line which isn’t a tube at all. An uncrowded train deposited me at Baker St, a station whose architecture and detail I’ve always admired. I was in no hurry so whilst humming Gerry Rafferty’s musical homage I took pictures of the remnants of a more genteel and less rushed age.

Now I’m at Marylebone, waiting for my train to depart, having swum against the tide of incoming commuters. Marylebone has always been the odd one out of London’s termini. It still is today as it’s the only one that’s purely diesel powered – with no sign of electrification in sight…

10:40.

Almost there. The journey onChiltern’s been fine but by God their old ‘Thames Turbo’ fleet is looking tired. The seat coverings are threadbare, vestibule doors are missing and the whole train needs a damned good clean.

17:00.

Apologies for absence but it’s been another busy (if Baltic) day looking at the start of the Wendover viaduct deck push-out. I’ll describe it in more detail later, right now I’m on a train from Banbury into Birmingham have explored a couple of other HS and E-W rail sites with a friend (Chris Howe). In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures to be getting on with.

The Wendover viaduct looking South. In the background (below the crane) is Jones’ Hill wood.
The view from atop one of the bridge pillars looking North towards Wendover.
Looking South from atop the same pillar. The construction site is long and very narrow. The track to the left is the haul road used for moving spoil from further South to be reused North of Wendover.

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.cozm/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. An excuse for a ‘jolly’ day out…

10 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in London, Photography, RAIL magazine, Rolling blogs

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07:10.

Today I’ve escaped the bosom of the Calder valley for a day out to London as part of a ‘jolly’. This is to celebrate the 1000th issue of RAIL, a magazine I’ve been involved with for *gulps* 23 years! I fist started accepting photographic commissions from them in 2001, then began writing for them a year later. Now I’m heading to Leeds to catch a train down to London that will be hauled by one of LNER’s Class 91 locomotives that’s been specially renumbered from 91105 to 91000 and named ‘RAIL’. It’s working the 07:41 off Leeds, which is handy! On arrival at Kings Cross I’ll be joining RAIL colleagues past and present for a little ceremony before the train works back to Leeds.

Right now I’m on Northern’s 06:45 from Halifax to Leeds. This mornings walk to the station was conducted in miserable drizzle but it could’ve been far worse. With the way the temperatures have plummeted I wouldn’t have been surprised to have been skating on ice. The 06:45’s made up of a 3-car Class 195 and I’d say it’s between 60-65% full after leaving Bradford. Not bad loadings for this time of morning and I’m sure it’ll be far fuller by the time it reaches Leeds.

I’ll be blogging and adding pictures throughout the day, so feel free to pop back and see how things unfold.

07:50.

Having arrived from Skipton late 91000 has left Leeds seven minutes down.

I wondered if I’d bump into anyone else here. Sure enough, I met my old friend and RAIL colleauge Phil Haigh, who was waiting for the set to arrive.

Looking very smart and sporting its new ‘RAIL 91000’ branding 91105 prepares to push our train lo London.
All smiles! Phil Haigh with 91000.

11:15.

Well, that was fun! We arrived at Kings Cross 15 minutes late, which meant the photo opp in front of the loco was a little rushed! Still, it was great to see some old friends and familiar faces, including Pete Waterman and former newsreader Nick Owen. No doubt pictures will appear in the next edition of the magazine but here’s one from me.

L-R. Christian Wolmar, Howard Johnston, Pete Waterman, Nick Owen and Phil Haigh.

LNER put in a special stop order for the return working to call at Peterborough but I only stayed until Stevenage which gave me time for a ‘planning meeting’ with a couple of other RAIL colleagues. Now I’m heading back into London along an old stamping ground, the Hertford loop. The weather here down in the South-East is gorgeous, it’s one of those crisp sunny days with wall to wall blue skies, so it would be a shame to waste it.

I’ve fond memories of this line from my days living in North London. We used to pop up from Hornsey to Crews Hill to visit the huge garden centres based near to the station and carried all manner of stuff back home on the train. Huge bamboo plants and even goldfish made the trip!

15:45.

Having spent several hours rediscovering old haunts along the Southern end of the East Coast Main line and having performed a loop from Stevenage to London and back via the Hertford loop and main line I’m aboard an LNER service back to Yorkshire with my camera full of library shots. I’ve not explored some of these lines for several years. Then the Class 313s were still running. Now all services are run by new train fleets, or even cascaded new train fleets! It is odd to see some Great Northern Class 387s sporting the red livery of Gatwick Express or the green of GWR. GN has certainly hoovered up and interesting collection of 387s to replace the old BR built 365s. Trains aren’t the only changes. I spent a little time at one of my old local stations (Harringay) only to find the tiny ticket office which was on the footbridge across the tracks has disappeared. I’ve no idea when it was demolished. The news isn’t all bad. I was surprised to find another of my former locals (Hornsey) has gained a small coffee kiosk on the London bound platform, something I never expected to see, but there’s not that many alternatives close to the station, so they’ve clearly found themselves a niche.

17:45.

I’m back in Yorkshire, heading for Leeds after swapping my all-electric Azuma for a bi-mode set which is working to Harrogate. Not that you’d notice the difference – until you saw that there were no overhead wires! Whilst the York train was fairly quiet, this one’s busy with business people making their way home from the capital. There’s open laptops aplenty, although one or two folk look to be more dozing than typing. I know how they feel. I’ll not be sorry to get home as I have an even sillier o’ clock start tomorrow as I’ll be heading to Buckinghamshire via London to look at an HS2 construction project. Hopefully, the weather will be as good as it has been today, although it’s raining again here in’t North.

Dreary Doncaster…

21:45.

I’m home, fed and watered and preparing for tomorrow’s very early start, so I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures from my travels around the Herts loop.

Siemens built 717015 calls at Hertford North with a train from Stevenage to Moorgate. These 6-car units are a very good modern replacement for the old Class 313s as they boast air-conditioning 2+2 seating, wifi and plug sockets. Luxury!
Sister unit 717016 pulls into my old local station at Hornsey with a Moorgate service.

Tomorrow I’ll be on the first train out of Halifax as I’ve got to get to Wendover in Buckinghamshire, where I’ll be visiting the site of the new HS2 viaduct. I’ll be rolling blogging throughout the day. Well, as long as the coffee holds out…

Goodnight!

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. Here we go again…

15 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:00.

For the second say in a row I’m heading to London, only this time for a social event. I’m on Grand Central’s 08:11 again only this time I’ve working wifi as we have a different set to yesterday.

Deja vu!

I feel for the poor GC staff as the empty stock was 48 minutes late into Bradford Interchange due to late running Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) engineering work. The crew had just 20 minutes to set up before the set left again. As a consequence they’ve not had time to put out seat reservation labels, which the Train Manager has been apologising profusely.

We’re currently sat waiting time at Wakefield Kirkgate as we’re running early (this section is very slackly timed). It’s been an interesting trip so far as I’ve been able to observe some of the progress on the TRU around Mirfield and Ravensthorpe where a lot of groundworks are underway. It’s obviously time for me to head out that way with the camera. Passing the derelict old marshalling yard at Healy Mills I noticed that a lot of track that’s lain rusting and disused for decades is being lifted. There’s lots of track panels stacked, awaiting removal whilst another fan of sidings has been denuded of the silver birch forest that’s covered it for years – as you can see in this picture link.

Compared to yesterday’s trip, this train in far less crowded. I’ve a table bay to myself although that may change when we reach Doncaster, so I’m looking forward to a relaxing trip.

09:23.

Would you believe it? Another day, another track-circuit failure. We’d just passed the old colliery wasteland and derelict sidings of Knottingly when our train slowed to a walking pace. The TM came on to the tannoy to explain why we were being delayed Ah well, at least it’s not a TC failure in a tunnel, so there’s something to see out of the window this time!

09:45.

Double bugger! It’s not just the track-curcuits that are flaky. Now the wifi’s playing up too so i’m back to typing on the phone.

10:12.

Having departed Doncaster 110 minutes late we’re now flying down the ECML at 124mph and made up a minute already by the time we passed Newark. There’s plenty of time for me to window-gaze now as the wifi’s still flaky so the work I was planning to do will have to wait.

12:25.

Arrived!. There will now be an intermission…

22:00

Mind the gap! I’ve had a very convivial afternoon/evening but an interesting trip back. I caught an evening LNER service from Kings Cross to Leeds whilst being totally unaware of the chaos at nearby Euston. Apparently, there was a fatality in the Milton Keynes area which closed the line on one of the busiest days of the year. I only found out when the Train Manager of my service apologised for the overcrowding and explained reciprocal ticket acceptance. Many people were on my Leeds in an effort to then get across the Peenines to Manchester/Liverpool or beyond. I have to say, the crew of the LNER service were fantastic with customer service in the face of such a problem.

Now I’m on the 22::00 from Leeds to Liverpool which is rammed with diverted travellers. At least I’m only going as far as Huddersfield…

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. Carousing and carolling…

14 Thursday Dec 2023

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

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08:45.

I’m on my way to London to attend the annual Railway Christmas carols but as is often the case on the railways at the moment, it’s not a smooth journey.

I’m travelling on Grand Central’s 08:11 from Halifax to Kings Cross. This is a well-loaded train – as are all GC services nowadays. They’ve bounced back from the pandemic and then some! I’m on one of their Class 180s, which is showing its age. The front car saloon’s certainly comfortable and warm, but the wifi is kaput which is a bit of a bugger.

London bound…

What’s also kaput is a track circuit in the Elland tunnel just outside Halifax. This brought us to a stand before we could be signalled through the affected track section so now we’re running late. How late yet I don’t know. Fortunately this train gets me into London well in advance of the carol service. To the credit of GC staff the young lady in 1st Class has been excellent in briefing passengers about what’s happened.

08:38.

We’ve just arrived at Brighouse where dozens of passengers are waiting. This train is going to get cosy!

10:10.

Having bimbled our way through the West Riding of Yorkshire to reach Doncaster where we took on so many passengers we’re bursting at the seams we’re now racing non-stop to London. The Class 180s may be in need of TLC (especially below the solebar) but when they get chance to stretch their legs they’re still good 125mph trains.

En-route we’re passing field after field that’s full of water, a testament to just how much rain we’ve had recently. The leaden skies we’re travelling under look to promise more.

11:55.

Having stretched its legs my 180 made up half the delay to arrive in Kings Cross just 7 minutes down. Noy bad for a hybrid set made up from two different 180s! Kings Cross was open access central when I arrived, with all three OA operators dominating one side of the station.

The station’s feeling very festive at the moment, but then so is St Pancras.

Now it’s time for me to hotfoot it over to Eversholt St. See you soon…

17:00.

What a lovely afternoon. The carol service was well attended by people from different branches and ranks of the railway family with lessons read by several well-known people. Afterwards we adjourned to the adjacent hall for mince-pies, nibbles, sherry or soft drinks. Sadly, St Mary’s church is under threat of closure so many people attending signed the petition to save it.

After the service a select few of us (as is traditional) retreated to a local hostelry to catch up with each other and swap gossip/news about the industry. Of course, names and discussions are covered by Chatham House rules! Much as I’d have loved to have stayed I’ve too much to do so right now I’m on LNER’s 16:03 back to Leeds which is formed of a Class 91 and Mk4 set.

21:45.

Back home! The journey North was uneventful. LNER performed impeccably – albeit a couple of minutes late – and my Northern connection whilst packed was also fine. There was one light-hearted moment. On the way from Leeds I had two conservatively dressed young Asian girls sat opposite who were chatting ninety to the dozen. So much so they were oblivious to the fact the train had reversed at Bradford (their stop) and it was only when the Conductor announced that our final stop was Halifax that they snapped out of their reverie with some very entertaining expletives – much to the amusement of passengers nearby! I asked them ‘didn’t you notice the train change direction at Bradford’? With a laugh they admitted they were so absorbed talking they hadn’t noticed a thing! I directed them to the Bradford bound platform with a smile! I’ve missed a stop in the past so I’m in no position to criticize…

Strolling home I did stop in our local pub for a ‘swifty’ and time to catch up with local friends, which felt a world away from where I’d just come from. Sometimes, as an ex-Londoner I very much feel caught between two worlds. Those two worlds will collide again tomorrow as I’m back in London again in the morning, this time for a different gathering, so expect a rolling(ish) blog on the morrow.

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