Category Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Aylesbury adventure…

25 Monday Sep 2023

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

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07:30.

Well, it wasn’t a ridiculous start to the day. I was up at 06:30 as I don’t need to be in Aylesbury until 14:00, although getting to Farnham to catch the train means I’m reliant on Dawn for a lift and Dee’s dropping her nephew, Sam, off at school first. This may be ‘leafy Surrey’ but the roads around here really aren’t very civilised when it comes to walking. Most of them are narrow and don’t have footpaths, leaving no safe space for walkers. Plus, many people around here are driving the four-wheel versions of tanks, leaving even less clearance. Society here is very much focused around the car. There’s not even a bus service through Tilford.

Feel free to pop back during the day to see what I get up to…

09:00

Having sat in on a Surrey school run it was instructive to say the least. Sam’s school is in Farnham, on a narrow street parallel to the railway line. The street is totally unsuitable for the numbers driving their kids to school (ignoring the no parking signs in the process). Lardbutt SUVs merely exacerbate the problem. It was good to see the number of kids who were walking but far too many weren’t. One thing I did notice, there’s not as many obese kids here compared to West Yorkshire but as obesity’s linked to poverty that’s unsurprising.

Dawn dropped me off at the station before heading home and I’m now sat on a 5-car Class 444 heading for the hour-long journey to Waterloo.

These services were always normally worked by 4-car Class 450s in multiple as the 444s are the ‘intercity’ units reserved for long-distance services from Waterloo to places like Bournemouth and Weymouth, although I do remember seeing them on Alton services in the past. As I’ll be a regular commuter from Farnham this week I’ll be interested to see how the service pattern pans out in practice.

Whilst there’s clearly not as many people commuting daily anymore, the car-park at Farnham was very busy and my trains filling up after each stop. The picture was taken after we left Farnham. I’ll add a comparison shot later.

09:30.

We’re well on the way to London now, the next stop’s Surbiton. We’ve had a ticket check which allowed me to observe that the people around me are all using paper tickets, suggesting they’re not daily commuters.

The change in seasons is evident too. Earlier we passed a ‘leafbuster’ train. The MPV was busy spraying the track towards Alton. The sun’s noticeably lower in the sky too, meaning that (photographically) I have longer, deeper shadows to contend with. Mind you, the forecast is that the Mercury’s due to hit a balmy 23 degrees today, so I can’t complain.

11:30.

I’m now on my way to Aylesbury via the old Great Central railway from Marylebone. Having time in the bank I tarried in London, changing trains at Clapham Junction in order to get a few library shots. The sidings there are full of the ‘new’ Class 701 ‘Arterio’ sets which are yet to turn a wheel in passenger service. It’s arterio sclerosis at it were! I boarded one of the old Class 455s from Clapham, one of the BR built trains that should have been sent for scrap years ago but that are still going strong. At Waterloo I spied my first 5-car Arterio which was out on test, contrasting with the 455s in adjacent platforms.

18:30.

Sorry for the break in blogging but I’ve had another busy day. Having met Ian (from the excellent ‘Ian visits’ website) and EFKB PR on the train to Aylesbury the three of us walked to the EKFB site, chatting on the way. The walk allowed us to see other aspects of the vast site other than the area we were visiting.

Once we met up with all the other invitees and folks from Network Rail and EKFB and having got ‘booted and suited’ we headed off to the main worksite where the new rail bridge over what will be HS2 has been completed and track relaid.

The bridge over HS2 with the HS2 cutting being excavated beneath. This is looking South towards London with Aylesbury off to the left and Princes Risborough off to the right.
It’s a hot day to be wearing full PPE!

I’ll write a bit more later and perhaps add another pic. Right now, having said goodbyes after a really informative visit I’ve walked back into Aylesbury and caught the train back into London.

20:00.

Travelling back into and across my former home town was weird. OK. I’ve not lived here for 23 years, but I never remember it this quiet – even on a Monday. The Chiltern train into Marylebone picked up a few folk en-route with many joining it when it hit the London suburbs but it still felt quiet. I had the same feeling on the Bakerloo line tube. This route passes through what are some of the capitals entertainment areas, but the vibrancy of the old days was missing.

Now I’m at Waterloo which is definitely subdued. It feels more like a provincial rail station rather than London’s busiest terminus.

Where’s the buzz?

Bidding adieu to the capital I’m taking the less direct route ‘home’ via Guildford rather than the Alton directs. I’m aboard yet another ‘Arkwright’ (aka a Class 444).

22:30.

‘Tis the end of the day and time to bring this blog to journey’s end. My route home via Guildford was easy, the trains weren’t crowded and the connection time allowed me to grab a few night shots. Yep, we’ve got to that time of year where it’s getting dark too early for my liking as my working day’s getting shorter, but hey ho. Let’s see what tomorrow brings…

I said I post another couple of pictures before I went. Here’s one of the HS2 trace West of Aylesbury, looking South. Can you sport the new railway bridge I was visiting? Some folk complain that building HS2 is ‘desecrating’ an AONB. Really? So who gave planning permission for those pylons then? In a few years when HS2’s complete you won’t even notice it at this location. Oh, and don’t even mention the sound of heavy traffic from the road behind me…

‘Metroland’. A pair of London Underground S stock trains stand at Chalfont and Latimer station which is shared between the Metropolitan line and Chiltern Railways.

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. Surrey road trip…

23 Saturday Sep 2023

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Rolling blogs, Surrey

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10:30.

I’m eschewing my usual mode of transport as the pair of us are driving down to Surrey. Bigland Towers will be in exile in the home counties for the next week, which means taking the bare bones of two office setups with us.

Today’s a good day for travelling, unlike earlier in the week. The sun’s shining, the roads are dry and there shouldn’t be too much commercial traffic on the road…

11:10.

So far so good. We cut across country from Halifax to the M1 via windy A roads that provide the most direct route, although the potholed conditions leave something to be desired. Now we’re on the M1.

11:30.

All was going well until a couple of miles before the junction with the M18 when we hit a jam which we’re now stuck in, crawling along at 7mph.

11:34.

Free! Some poor sod was unlucky enough to break down on a carriageway reduced in size due to roadworks!

12:00.

We’re back on the road again after taking a wee (literally) break at Woodall services – not one I’m familiar with. The place was busy with others with the same idea, doing similar for their four-legged friends and smokers, sucking on fags as they hung around their cars.Motorway services have gone upmarket since my hitchhiking days in the 80s-90s. This one even has a Waitrose supermarket!

13:50.

Having called in at our usual pitsop at Watford Gap we sat in the sun, watching the world go by whilst munching a sandwich on the grass bank at the rear of the service area. The car-park was packed with vehicles as this is such a strategic services due to its location near were the M6 motoway diverges from the M1. One thing I noticed on this visit was how many EV charging stations have been installed and were in use.

Now we’re on our way South, but not by our normal route. The A43 is closed between the M1 and Towcester, so we’re sticking on the M1 and heading for the London orbital carpark (aka the M25).

This section of the motorway brings back so many memories of my hitchhiking days, heading to/from London. When I moved to the capital in 1986 I couldn’t afford the train fare or to hire a van so I spent several weeks hitchhiking back and forth, moving my stuff South by the rucksack load! Happy days!

I had a series of white plastic cards that fitted in my bag, each one bore the number of a main motorway such as “M1 please”, plus one for emergencies when you got stuck for ages. It read “anywhere but here!” It would raise a smile if nothing else but also a lift sometimes.

Funny the way the memory’s jogged sometimes. Near Luton we’ve passed a couple of bikers. Years ago I often came to see a friend who’d moved here and we’d go out and about on this 250cc Honda. Of course, you’re immortal when you’re in your 20s and riding pillion with Duncan could be an ‘interesting’ experience as Duncan enjoyed his beer and exotic substances. So much so his nickname was ‘Duncan disorderly’…

Then (the early 80s) there was a pub in nearby Dunstable that was popular with bikers and hippies. The Wheatsheaf didn-t have a jukebox. Instead it had twin decks so people could bring in their own albums. We’d often bike over there. One time Duncan was a little overzealous with his overtaking and I felt the car coming inthe opposite direction brush against my jeans!

What’s changed so much since those days is the landscape around the motorway. Where it once passed through open fields it’s now hemmed in by massive distribution warehouses for the likes of Amazon, H&M and Lidl.

16:20.

And relax – we’re here in Tilford. The car’s unloaded and it’s time for a breather. The Southern end of the M1 and M25 were very busy but kept flowing, as did the M3. Then we headed across country past Aldershot and the Hog’s Back to reach our destination.

19:00.

Having sorted ourselves out it was time to have a mooch and take Tilly, the family’s Cairn Terrior for a walk. Tilly has a set route, oddly enough, she was insistant thart we called in here – The Barley Mow…

22:45.

‘Tis time to bid goodnight. We’ve had a lovely evening full of food and drink here in Tilford, but now it’s time to call it a day. Tomorrow the Platt family are off to watch the youngest male member of the clan play Rugby. Me? Rugger’s never been a game on my horizon, so I’ll take the camera for a walk somewhere. I just don’t know where yet. Watch this space…

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. National Rail Awards 2023…

14 Thursday Sep 2023

Posted by in London, National Rail Awards, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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12:15.

The pair of us are currently bouncing along from Bradford to Leeds on a Northern Class 195 in order to head down to London for tonight’s National Rail Awards, an event I’ve only missed once since (gulp!) 2003. Jeez. Were’s the last 20 years gone?

Tonight will be rather special as the awards host and Editor of RAIL magazine, Nigel Harris, leaves Bauer after 28 years tomorrow so it’s very much the end of an era. Nigel’s an old friend. The pair of us first met as volunteers on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway back in the mid 1970s. Then, in 2001 I started working for RAIL as a freelance photographer which brought me to the attention of the wider railway industry. The rest (as they say) is history…

12:45.

We’ve swapped our Northern 195 for some ‘classic’ traction to Kings Cross in the shape of 91111 ‘For the Fallen’

16th September update.

Sorry, I was overtaken by events that evening (literally) so never finished this blog. Despite the awards opening at 17:45 and going on until the early hours of the morning there’s never enough time. There’s so many people to see and say hello to, never mind get into conversation with – and Dawn and I have been privileged enough to have the run of the place and access to the VIP area which is the bar above the Great Hall.

Seeing so many old faces was lovely and (as usual) there was lost of stimulating and informative conversations. The Rail awards really are the railway ‘Oscars’ so pretty much everybody in the rail industry who can be there is. Only this time there was a twist due to Nigel retiring after so many years. Nigel’s co-presenter this year was the always entertaining TV journalist Steph McGovern, a person who has a host of stories and not afraid to call a spade a spade – or someone a tw*t! You should hear her anecdotes about meeting Donald Trump!

Here’s a few pictures from the night.

The VIP balcony. Folk in the rail industry may be able to spot a few familiar faces.
The view from our table as Steph McGovern gets into her story-telling stride…
Sir Peter Hendy was one of the people who bid farewell to Nigel (seen on the right).

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. Southport surprise…

13 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by in Railways, Rolling blogs, Southport, Travel

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12:30.

The surprise is I wasn’t meant to be going to Southport today at all! I was meant to be working at home. However…

This morning I went to my wardrobe to dig out my Tuxedo ready for tomorrow’s National Rail Awards. I knew it’d still fit so I’d left it to the last munute as usual. My lastminute.com behavior is the bane of my wife’s life but that’s another story. So, you can imagine the scene as I’m ruffling through my collection of clothes but can’t find it. I’d lent it to my brother in law in Southport last year and could have sworn I’d collected it earlier this year. Surely, I hadn’t left it on a train? Five minutes of frantic ruffling (it must’ve looked like a Tom and Jerry cartoon scene) established that it was nowhere to be found. One worried phone call to my sister established that it was actually still with her in Southport. So, here I am, on the 12:02 from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester, sheepishly heading to Southport to collect it!

Still, it’s a nice day for it and I can do some work on the way/way back…

13:15.

Rather than changing trains at Victoria I opted to travel to Salford Central and have a look at the refettled platforms. The station was closed for several weeks for an upgrade which has seen the platforms resurfaced along with other cosmetic changes that reflect its growing importance due to the massive changes to the area it serves. Forty years ago the station was surrounded by abandoned goods yards which had become temporary car parks. It was a depressing place. Now it’s full of high-rise residential blocks, multi-storey car parks and new offices. It’s quite a transformation.

The 13:12 to Southport calls at Salford Central, worked by a former ‘Thameslink’ Class 319 converted to a bi-mode Class 769.

13:45.

Having bolted to Bolton under electric power we’re now burbling to Wigan on diesel. The problems with changing over power that used to bug these units seem to have been ironed out.

17:30.

Well, that was a mixed day. I’m now on an ex-East Midland Railway Class 156 from Southport heading back to Manchester. I had time to kill in my old hometown as my sister didn’t get home from work until after 16:00 so I mooched around the town centre near the station. It’s a sad place nowadays. The impressive old Victorian Chapel St station was a real gateway to the town. It was demolished in the late 60s early 70s, to be replaced by an unattractive shopping centre with the truncated station hidden behind it. Even the shopping centre’s looking sad. It lost it’s flagship M&S store a few years ago. Now it’s losing one of its other staples – Wilko, which shuts in 5 days time. I had a quick look around and whilst there were some bargains there was nothing I could carry and it’s not what I was in town for.

Not many bargains left…

Moving on I had a look at the old Cambridge arcade which led from Chapel St to Lord street past another old flagship department store which closed. Talk about an air of dereliction!

To be fair, part of the arcade roof is being restored, but many of the the shops sheltering beneath it have closed.

I elected to walk up to my sisters as I could shadow the railway to get a few pictures en-route whilst viewing places I grew up in. It was all rather sad. I passed a former shoe-shop where my parents took me to buy my school shoes. The father and son who ran it until recently have both gone now and the shop with its iron and glass canopy has been turned into this.

That’s progress I suppose. The world has moved on from local shops to the internet and small businesses are struggling. That area used to be a thriving shopping village but all that’s left now is a few fast-food and booze shops, although one business has at least tried make the place look attractive and welcoming rather than just being a car-park.

Cars have had a huge impact on the character of the town. So many houses have what were attractive front gardens when I was a kid turned into hard-standing for cars. It’s both ugly and unsustainable but the council seems all too happy to let it happen.

Having picked up my Tux from my sisters there was one last and very unexpected surprise in store for me. As I entered Meols Cop station to catch the train I heard a voice shout ‘Paul’ from the shelter. It’s once in a blue moon that I bump into anyone in Southport from the ‘old days’ but I recognised the face immediately even though I hadn’t seen him for over 30 years. It was the eyes – and the hair (lucky barsteward!) This was a lad called Wayne whom I knew in the 1980s. Only he’s not a lad anymore! He was there with his teenage son who must have been about the age Wayne was when I first met him! Talk about a blast from the past!

22:30.

I’m home and relaxing after my impromptu trip to the seaside. My last surprise of the day was catching the train from Manchester and sitting next to an old acquaintance who now works as a Driver for Grand Central. Kieran had been in Manchester with a Northern colleague so the three of us ended up chatting about the state of the rail industry all the way to Hebden Bridge. What an unexpectedly sociable day.

Now it’s time to wind down, so I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures from today.

Due to a shortage of working units and with so many already gone for scrap the old 507/508 fleet often works as single sets nowadays. Here’s 508131 at Southport.
The changing face of Merseyrail as the sidings at Southport hold a mix of old and new trains. But not for much longer…
Bi-mode 769456 passes under Windsor Rd footbridge on its way into Southport. This is a scene of decrepitude and decay nowadays. A far cry from how I remember it in its heyday.

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. Cambridgeshire departure…

08 Friday Sep 2023

Posted by in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:45.

Having thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cambridgeshire it’s time to head back to the Pennines. Everyone’s sad to leave as our accomodation has been excellent and really restful. Dawn’s mooted the idea of basing ourselves down here for a week and working from the chalet. Maybe next year as the new section of East-West rail will be passing less than a few hundred meters away!

Colourful Cambs. We passed this field most days. It’s been seeded with a selection of wildflowers to attract insects. Afterwards the plants will be plowed back into the ground to improve the soil.

We’re not rushing back. The plan is to stop en-route with our first port of call being Stamford, Lincolnshire…

22:30.

Yep, I know – another crap ‘rolling’ blog. Sorry about that but we were on busy roads when we weren’t stopped so my primary focus was on being the human interface between the satnav and Dawn driving in order to make things easier for her. Having dropped off John and Norah at their gaffe we’re at home in the Calder valley I can catch up on the day.

We did stop off at Stamford, which was an ideal pitstop. If you’ve never been it’s well worth a visit as it’s a very well preserved town with attractive buildings constructed from the local limestone. John and Norah had never visited before so were suitably impressed, whilst Dawn and I had stayed their in a very swanky hotel as part of a wedding present from an ex-colleague of Dawn’s (thank you Martin Yallop!) who then showed us around the town.

This time we discovered somewhere new and ideal in this warm weather. Having parked near the railways station our wandering took us over the river into the centre of town where I spotted that the Millstone Inn was advertising it’s beer garden. Beer, in a garden of a historic pub? Why not? Then we saw the garden, which we all fell in love with as it’s top notch. Forget a few benches and a couple of plastic tubs of geraniums – this is class!

Just out of shot to the right is a little kiosk selling home-made pizzas.

We finally tore ourselves away and explored further. Friday’s market day and Stamford has one of the most extensive markets I’ve seen for a while, its tendrils spread down several side-streets as well as some of the main pedestrianised area. There’s a decent variety too, it’s not just tat and safety ware. There’s fresh fruit and veg, plants aplenty and some original artworks .

Mind you, Stamford is rather more upmarket than some places (Huddersfield eat your heart out) as many independent shops like this demonstrate.

Then there’s lovely buildings like this. The old Almshouses on Station Rd opposite the George hotel.

We eventually tore ourselves away from Stamford in order to revisit Rutland Water and stop for lunch – having packed supplies before we left. The area’s lovely although the Whitwell leisure park area was a little disappointing compared to our previous stop at Sykes Lane (far nicer). The area was far more commercial which is fine if you want to hire bikes or indulge in some of the other activities on offer – or even take a cruise, but the place had a prevelant smell of poo which we couldn’t work out the source of.

All aboard the ‘Rutland Belle’ for a cruise around the reservoir…

Now we’re home, getting used to being back in the Pennines. Oh, and stairs…

Tomorrow temperatures are still expected to be in the mid-20’s so we’ll see what we get up to. The ‘plan’ is to make the most of the late summer and get out for a walk somewhere. We shall see…

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/

Rolling blog. Cambridgeshire day 1…

02 Saturday Sep 2023

Posted by in Cambridgeshire, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:00.

Good morning from Saxon mound (as this collection of chalets is named). I was up first and had a lovely solo interlude sitting on the balcony overlooking the lakes, sipping coffee whilst watching the Coot, Ducks and Herons on the fishing lakes. Now the house is awake and the rest of the family are indulging in the same sport. Thankfully, I remembered to bring the binoculars this time!

Now it’s time for a leisurely breakfast before heading out to explore. Feel free to pop back and see what we get up to…

19:30. Well that was a crap ‘rolling blog’, wasn’t it? The reality was we were too busy moving around and I was too busy acting as tour guide and Dawn’s navigator to be able to update the blog. So from now on I’ll only do a daily update – bearing in mind I’m in company and meant to be on holiday. I could write volumes about today as we visited some really interesting places, many of which I’ve never seen before. Our first stop was to explore the nearby village where we just had to stop so that I could get a picture of this.

Moving on our first proper stop was at St Ives (no, not the one in Cornwall) which is a lovely little place with shedloads of history, a relaxed feel and some lovely buildings. There’s also a very rare bridge across the river in that it’s only one of four left in the country that contains a chapel as part of its structure.

The bridge across the Ouse at St Ives has a fascinating history. The old chapel in the centre is one of only four left and that’s had an interesting and varied life too…
“You – boy” – the statue of Cromwell in St Ives.

We really enjoyed our visit to St Ives – a place we’ll be popping back to again before we go as it’s only up the road. Our next stop? Maybe not – although Huntingdon was interesting in a different way. The old county town certainly has a lot of history. It was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, became a battleground between Royalists and Cavaliers during the English Civil War, and has later political ‘form’ as the constituency of former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. The town centre’s been knocked about a bit since I was last here 30 years ago, but there’s still a lot of old buildings that remain, including a lovely old pub called the Falcon Tavern at the back of the market square. I spotted it so popped in for a pint when I was checking out the sights whilst the rest of the family had gone for their Costa coffee fix. Having seen the Falcon had Hopback ‘Summer Lightning’ on tap and outside seating in the sun I couldn’t resist. As usual, my camera proved a talking point and I soon ended up in conversation with some of the pub regulars who were an interesting and eclectic bunch. Lets put it this way, I don’t think any of them voted for John Major when he was the sitting MP!

Once the combined coffee/beer break was over I took the trio to the Cromwell museum in the square. Its’ only small but a really interesting place as it makes you realise some what you thought you knew about Cromwell (and the Puritans) was Victorian make-believe. The very helpful and informative young lady staffing the single-room museum really added to our visit thanks to her own knowledge and interest in Cromwell. There’s good reasons for the Scots, Welsh and Irish to have an intense dislike of him but the idea that he ‘abolished’ Christmas (that was Parliament, not Cromwell) or that he was intolerant of other faiths and denominations (he wasn’t) are fictions. Oh, the idea the Puritans always wore black is cobblers too. Apparently, black dye was expensive, so they were far more colourful than people think.

Versions of Cromwells death mask on display in the museum.
A single-room museum that fits a lot in. I’d certainly recommend a visit.

Suitably enlightened we headed home to enjoy the rest of the evening rejoicing in the dying rays of the sun before Dawn got her chef’s hat on and cooked the evening meal. Nothing fancy today – we just had fish and chips, but what a great end to the day!

Relaxing after tour guide duties.
Time to eat…

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. Cambridgeshire here we come…

01 Friday Sep 2023

Posted by in Cambridgeshire, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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12:20.

Well, almost! I’m sat at Dawn’s parents. Having repacked the car with all our stuff we’re just waiting for Madame, who’s gone off to have her nails done whilst we sorted out the jigsaw of suitcases, shoes and jackets plus the bags of condiments and spices we always take with us. The weather’s done its best to delay us by throwing the odd shower our way but the job’s done. Now we’re waiting on our driver…

13:20.

We’re now en-route…

13:55.

The joy of the M1 motorway – but only for 11 miles before we cut across country to the A1.

14:45.

Having left the M1 we cut across country on the A57 which passes South of Worksop.It’s not the most scenic of routes, it’s also very busy. But anyone who remembers the miners strike of 1984-85 will recognise some of the names – like Manton, and Thoresby.

A lot of housing in the area looks like it was built by the council or National Coal Board. Unlovely houses for the most, many haven’t improved as now it’s like living in a car-park as what once were gardens have been concreted over.

Right now we’re heading South on the A1, fortunate that we’re not going in the opposite direction as an accident by the junction where we joined the road has caused a tailback several miles long.

17:00.

We’ve made a slight detour to a very pleasant place to stop for coffee where you can admire the scenery. Rutland Water.

19:00.

We’ve arrived, unloaded the car and started to settle in. We’re all really impressed with the accommodation, which is one of a new group of five chalets just outside the village of Elsworth.

There’s certainly plenty of space…
Both bedrooms are doubles. This one’s en-suite. The other has a bathroom opposite.
The chalets are constructed from ‘timber’ made from recycled plastic so both hard wearing and eco-friendly.
The view from the deck which overlooks a pair of well-stocked fishing lakes. There’s a tackle shop on site. The woods in the background are a SSSI so protected and off limits.

It seems that even here I can’t get away from railways! In 1946 the local church recruited a new Rector. His name? The Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who wrote the ‘Thomas the tank engine’ children’s books! Apparently, there’s a blue plaque in his honor on the vicarage, which I’ll have to seek out.

22:15.

Time to bring this blog to a close. The trip down here was pretty good and what we’ve seem on our foray to the Waitrose supermarket in St Ives makes us want to spend tomorrow reconnoitering the area so we can decide where we’d like to spend more time. The weather’s certainly a lot better than where we’ve come from and the forecast is looking good. I might even be able to break out the shorts and sandals!

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. Derbyshire diversions…

24 Thursday Aug 2023

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

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08:45.

I’m out and about slightly later than planned as for once I didn’t wake up before the alarm clock although looking at the weather that’s probably saved me from a soaking! Having walked down to Sowerby Bridge station I’m now aboard Northern’s 07:59 to Leeds via Bradford. It’s a busy train carrying more than just the usual commuters. There are three young girls from Warrington in the opposite table bay loaded down with rucsacs and camping equipment who’re obviously on their way to a festival somewhere. Now, being an ‘old fogey’ expensive mudbaths listening to bands I’ve never heard of no longer appeal, so I’ve no idea which one it is they’re heading to. The girls have spent their time chatting/gossiping. I’ve not been paying any attention but I did hear the put down ‘she’s everybody’s ex, really’ which raised an internal chuckle. I don’t what weather they’re expecting where they’re going but looking at their footwear wellies may have been a better choice!

Now we’ve reversed at Bradford to make our way to Leeds under leaden skies. I’ll be blogging throughout the day so feel free to pop in later to see what I get up to…

Busy Leeds

10:30.

That was an interesting trip! At Leeds I realised the train I’d arrived on was a 6-car, not something we normally get on Calder valley services. Now I know why it was busy but not packed! Crossing the bridge to catch my next train I bumped into a friend from Sowerby Bridge. Ian Aberdeen was on a day out walking old railways on Derbys before meeting up with others for a beer later. We sat and chatted on the train to Sheffield. Sadly the Cross-country HST we’d hoped for had been replaced by a single 5-car Voyager, the palindromic 221122.

The set wasn’t as packed as I feared but we did have some ‘interesting’ fellow passengers. In the seat opposite me was a rotund elderly bloke wrapped up in a hoodie yet wearing shorts to display his leg tattoo’s. On one leg he had a Crusader Knight whilst on the other a sailor and a line of world war 1 British battleships. I’m taking a stab in the dark here but something makes me think he voted for Brexit and thinks the Tories aren’t nationalistic enough…

A few rows in front of him was another guy in a hoodie – only he was half the size. When the Conductor came to check tickets he gave her a stream of excuses sbout why he’d not got a ticket. Having established he’d be leaving the train at Sheffield she let him be.

Suitably triggered, the guy got out his phone and started recording himself talking – a torrent of verbal diarrhoea! I suspect he thought he was Russell Brand recording a podcast as his stream of consciousness contained familiar words and phrases ‘paradigm’, ‘patriarchy’ and trite phrases about technology, racism and capitalism. It was a masterclass in talking bollocks.

Thankfully both he and I left the train in Sheffield so I didn’t have to listen to any more of his diatribe. As I disembarked I wished the Conductor and her oppo’ an easier rest of their trip to Birmingham.

As I’d a few minutes to wait at Sheffield I hunted for suitable shots to take and found this. The very first of the BR built Class 150s, in between duties.

10:55.

Arriving at Dore and Totley at the same time as the sunshine I quickly got shots of the Hope valley line upgrade work. The second Hope valley track through the station has been laid but isn’t connected. The new platform’s really beginning to take shape now and the foundations of the footbridge that will connect it to the existing platform are in place.

11:50.

Time for a change of location and scenery. I’m now on the way to Belper via Derby. There’s been no direct trains from the Sheffield direction for many a year. No, the only trains that call at Belper are working the hourly service on the Matlock branch, which involves a change at Derby before doubling back.

15:00.

Apologies for the gap but I’ve been busy. I’ll add some camera pictures showing what I’ve been up to later. I caught the local EMR service from Derby to Belper without a problem There’s quite a change in trains on the route. Last time I was here to take pictures Matlock services were worked by single-car Class 153s (aka ‘Dogboxes’). now the trains are more modern two car Class 170s cascaded from West Midlands Trains that have the luxury of air-conditioning.

EMR has replaced their old BR built regional diesel train fleet of Class 153s and 156s with trains like this, the Class 170. Whilst they’ve received EMR livery the interiors are still pure West Midlands without USB or power sockets.

I don’t think this will be my last visit to Belper either. I’d forgotten just how many road overbridges there are here which present some interesting photographic possibilities, especially later in the day.

A Cross-Country Voyager speeds through Belper. The road along the top of the cutting is appropriately named ‘Midland View’. The bridge behind the train carries on of the main town centre shopping streets. You can view the station though the bridge.
Looking North from the railway station where a series of streets traverse the railway.

Much as I’d liked to have hung around I retraced my steps to Derby. Now I’m on another tired East Midlands ‘Meridian’ (001 in fact) to get back to Sheffield in plenty of time to meet my old friend Merv…

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 (ish) blog. Wirral whirlwind…

22 Tuesday Aug 2023

Posted by in Liverpool, Merseyrail, Merseyside, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs

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16:00.

I’ve had an eventful day so far. Having been up early to finish penning my Blyth and Tyne article for RAIL magazine I had to walk down to our Doctors for an appointment. Whilst sitting in the waiting room idly scrolling through websites I found that – not only were the new Merseyrail trains running in passenger service on the Wirral to West Kirby, but one of the Vivarail ex-London transport trains was definitely running on the Borders line from Bidston to Wrexham. It seemed like too good a chance to miss…

Within 5 mins of leaving the Docs I was at the station and soon heading Westwards to Manchester Victoria where I had scant minutes to wait for a Trans-Pennine service onwards to Liverpool Lime St, working on the trains all the way thanks to their wifi (are you listening DfT?). Tempting as it was to join Merseyrail at Lime St I walked to Central instead as it gave me chance to buy a cheap supermarket butty rather than pay station prices. Plus I got more steps in!

First stop on Merseyrail was Bidston where I was just in time to snap one of the Transport for Wales Class 230s arriving from Wrexham four minutes late. I’m told timekeeping is a real issue with these sets, especially towards the end of their diagram when they’ve banked delays on each circuit.

Plodding onward to the lovely Art Deco station at Hoylake and finding a 777 was on the service behind I realised this wasn’t the best place for photography due to sun, heavy shadows and the waiting room canopy. I wanted shots of passengers with the train so I ended up catching it to West Kirby.

Day 2 of Class 777 passenger services on the Wirral, with obvious teething problems. Not in service?

There’s clearly teething problems introducing the sets. Not only is the set in use running late on each run from Liverpool but the destination blinds show “not in service”, much to passengers confusion! I let the 777 return to Liverpool and took a break to photograph some of the older units before catching up with set 004 on a return run at Meols where the same late running and PIS screen problems persisted.

17:15.

I’ve had another run on the 777 but this time I’ve had channce to chat to the crew. Late running is due to two sets of doors being locked out of use because the level boarding steps are stuck. Apparently, this *may* (but don’t quote me, I’m only the messenger) be due to the floor panels in the vestibules above flexing under weight. So it’s taking longer for passengers to embark/disembark, hence the late running. Whatever, this doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the trains which Pip Dunn and I reviewed in a recent RAIL article. Let’s face it, the 507s weren’t without issue when they were introduced and the fleet underwent a series of modifications during its lifetime.

Now I’m making my way back towards home, although I do have a stop off in mind on the way…

20:00.

Ever had one of those days? Again? After typing my last update I left the train at Conway Park so I could get a last shot of the 777 before adjourning to a fabulous old nautical pub near Hamilton Sq. Just as the train pulled out I thought ‘hang on, my pockets feel light’…

I’m wearing a Barbour fleece which is great apart from one thing. The pockets are as deep as the sinks in a Chiltern Railways Mk 3 coach loo. I’d managed to lose my phone on the train. Cursing under my breath I caught the next train to Hamilton Square so I could drown my sorrows if nothing else. As I passed through I told the barrier staff what I’d done. Straightaway Peter, the guy on the gateline made some phonecalls and established that a phone matching mine had just been handed in to the ticket office at James St. So, I caught the next train there with fingers crossed. Sure enough, George in the ticket office at James St had my phone. Some good Samaritan had found it and handed it in.

My faith in humanity restored I decided I’d had enough adventure for the day, but I did have a quick pint in the Crown Hotel outside Lime St just to unwind and indulge in some people – watching before heading home.

The ceiling in the Crown’s a sight to behold.

20:20.

I’ve been kicking my heels in Manchester Victoria for nearly an hour as my Leeds connection was cancelled – just to put the icing on the cake! Now I’m praying the 20:21 just *might* be on time…

20:25.

Yay! Homeward bound. This train’s on time and not too crowded so I’ve the luxury of a seat in a saloon. I’ve had an interesting if rushed day – and I’m still in possession of my phone (which is a bonus). I’ll add a few more pictures to the blog this evening just to round things off. Tomorrow will be a day for working from home without the pressure of jumping on and off trains. Instead I’ll be able to edit today’s pictures and get some filing done – as well as adding a few more items to eBay..

21:00.

Ho hum. We’re 20 mins late leaving Rochdale due to being stuck behind another service. This is really not turning out to be my day, but it is an all too typical day on the railways at the moment.

22:00.

Home at last! Now I’ve time to edit a few of today’s pictures for your delectation. Here’s a small selection.

One of Transport for Wales ex-London transport tube trains rebuilt from electric to diesel-power by Vivarail is seen at Bidston before working a Borders line service to Wrexham.

The old order at West Kirby. 1978 built 507011 arrives at the town having worked a service around the Liverpool loop and return.
Ignore the PIS, 777004 was very much in service, having deposited me at Manor Rd on the Wirral line to West Kirby, where this picture was taken.
More old electric trains, this time in the shape of former Thameslink units 319383 and 319386. Built by BR in 1988 these 4- car sets are living on borrowed time as they’re due to be replaced by ex-West Midlands 3-car Class 323s just as soon as the units are released from their time around Birmingham.

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. A Gooleish day…

17 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in Photography, Photojournalism, Railways, Rolling blogs, Siemens, Travel, Yorkshire

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09:00

Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday but the time was taken up with a family funeral. My Mother-in-Law’s sister, known to the family as Aunty Dorothy passed away. A church service was held for her in Marsden, West Yorkshire before a private family cremation, after which everyone returned to Marsden to rejoin the other mourners for food and drinks – and chance to reminisce and celebrate her life.

Today, life goes on and I’m about to leave for Goole to meet up with my RAIL colleague Paul Stephen for a visit to the new Siemens factory there. I’ll update the blog throughout the day as and when…

09:55

I’m on the way. In contrast to yesterday the weather in the Calder valley’s very gloomy today with the clouds threatening yet more rain so I accepted Dawn’s offer of a lift to the station. This allowed me to catch an earlier train (the 09:37 instead of the 09:54) which was just as well as the 54 is already running 11 mins late, leaving me little time for my connection at Leeds.

My train was busy but not overcrowded – until it got to Bradford Interchange where families with gaggles of kids were waiting to join. I’d forgotten about the school holidays! The decible level aboard has now increased dramatically!

11:30.

My steed to Doncaster from Leeds. Another busy LNER ‘Azuma’ heading for London Kings Cross. According to an IPA report these trains were ‘unachievable’!

I’ve just left Doncaster. Getting here was painless as a quick dash between platforms allowed me to catch an earlier LNER service to Doncaster. Joining the train at the last minute was fun as I had to wade through confused families trying to work out where their seat reservations were. There’s lot of ‘newbie’ travellers around at the moment as it’s the season for them!

Having banked an extra 30 mins I was disappointed there was nothing of interest to photograph at Doncaster. The yard was virtually empty and the works siding contained nothing more than a couple of rusting Class 47s and a pair of Cross-Country Mk3 coaches – all in unphotogenic locations behind wire mesh fencing.

Now I’m aboard a Northern Class 170 heading for Scarborough via Hull which will get me to Goole…

16:45.

When I titled this blog I had no idea how appropriate it would be…

I arrived in plenty of time to walk to the new Siemens train factory to meet Paul Stephen and be given our guided tour of the new plant. The site’s impressive. It’s not often you see a new railway centre rise from a brownfield site like this. The first trains for Transport for London won’t begin to roll off the production line until March 2024 but there’s work going on at the centre already and employment will begin to increase from September. I won’t go into detail (you’ll be able to read the full story in a future edition of RAIL) but the site’s already about far more than just building trains – a view confirmed with the discussions we had with the new Siemens joint MD – Sambit Banerjee. Here’s a mock-up of what the new TfL deep level tube trains will look like.

The revised front end for the production line trains.
Inside the train commissioning and testing shed, where the car bodies will be mounted onto their bogies and the trainsets tested as one unit.

Things started to go ‘Pete Tong’ when Paul dropped me off at Goole station where all services were shown on the information screens as delayed or cancelled. Apparently Hull has suffered a major signal failure and all services to from the city are disrupted. So here I am, with no idea when I’ll be able to leave…

17:40.

Escaped!

I’m now on the first train from Goole since lunchtime apparently. Lucky me! It’s a two car unit and its rammed – and sweaty!

19:00.

The homeward leg. Having made it to Doncaster I didn’t hang around but jumped the first available LNER service to Leeds. Today’s problems made it unwise to tarry. The train was busy but not unbearably so as I still found a seat.

Once at Leeds I made a beeline for my train home which was a stark contrast to a 10 car LNER.

Nice!

Northern had thrown out a 2-car 195 on a York-Blackpool North service. It’s ‘cosy’ to say the least – especially as some folk insist their bags entitled to a seat yet some folk would rather stand than challenge them. Not me, so some young bloke’s been told to sling his bag! I’m sat opposite a rarity nowadays and something I’ve not seen (or heard) for ages. A Grandmother’s reading a book to her Granddaughter. It’s ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’…

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