Ugh, another silly o’ clock start as I’m heading back North to Morpeth to explore the Blyth and Tyne railway for a future magazine article. I was up there the other week but the weather was appalling and we were trapped on a train where we could only see the work to rebuild the line for passengers from inside. This time I’ll be lineside and have a local guide for part of the trip. But first I’ve got to get to Morpeth. Feel free to keep popping back to see how the day unfolds…
06:30.
After what was a lovely early morning stroll under cloudless skies and rising temperatures through deserted streets I’m now on Northern’s 06:17 from Halifax to Hull. This morning it’s operated by a long-standing member of the Northern fleet in the shape of 3-car 158753. This unit’s been allocated to the area for donkey’s years.
Whilst it’s been lightly loaded from Halifax it’s filled up at Bradford Interchange.
07:35.
On arrival at Leeds I noticed TPE was up to its usual tricks of cancelling services. Thankfully, my next train was LNER’s 07:08 to Aberdeen, worked by a 9-car bi-mode ‘Azuma’ which had arrived empty from Doncaster Carr depot.
800101 begins its day…
07:50.
We’re currently speeding along at 123mph through the Vale of York en-route to Darlington. Sadly, the blue skies that stayed with me all the way to York are being invaded by low, dappled cloud from the East which are meant to cover the whole of Northumberland by the time I arrive. In some ways that’s not too bad as I don’t have to worry about heavy shadows and backlit shots. Even so, a bit of contrast would be nice. At least conditions will be better than on my last visit when the rain p*ssed down all day!
15:30.
Apologies for the long break but I’ve just been on a whirlwind tour of the Blyth and Tyne in the company of Paul Young of Ontrackimages, who’s a former B&T signaller. Paul graciously acted as local guide and chauffer, taking me to places I haven’t visited since 1989. I’ll add more pictures (and comparison shots) later but here’s a couple to be going on with.
The old box at Marcheys House. I have a similar view from December 1989 which I’ll add later. The level crossing and signalbox at Newsham South will both be redundent. In the background’s one of the cranes working building the new road flyover. The signalbox is in poor condition.You may notice the way the wooden structure’s leaning towards the track. What you can’t see is that the inside of the box is shored up with scaffolding!
See what I mean?
17:30.
I’m making my way home in very different weather. The sun’s dialled up the mercury so conditions are now hot and sticky. I couldn’t resist stopping of on my way home, so here’s a shot from Darlington.
18:10.
Time to change trains at York and take a little pitstop. Here’s what I’m seeing.
Double trouble. A pair of CAF built driving trailers.And relax! The York Tap.
20:05.
Suitably refreshed I caught a TPE service that was actually running. The Scarborough-Leeds service was diverted via Milford Jn and Castleford so entered leads from the ‘wrong’direction, but at least it got me there and wasn’t cancelled like many of its bretheren. Despite being ‘renationalised’ TPE is still a complete mess as a train service, which rather proves ownership isn’t the root of the problem. Now I’m sat on a Northern service to Chester which should have left at 19:42.
20:12.
Oh joy! The Chester train’s been cancelled as there’s no Guard for it so I joined the happy throng heading from platforms 4 to 1 to catch the 20:12 to Manchester Victoria. Needless to say – it’s busy. Not just with passengers but also displaced Northern crews who’re trying to join their trains elsewhere.
22:00.
Home again. Dee was happy to pick me up for the station so I wasn’t home at too daft a time, which has given me chance to download and edit a last few pictures from today’s trip.
Bedlington North Junction with the remains of the old station on the left. This will be rebuilt for the new passenger service to Ashington which will use the lines to the left. The tracks to the right lead to Morpeth. Bedlington North Junction signalbox. The Morpeth line runs behind the box whilst the line to Ashington and Blyth is in the foreground. Marchey’s House Junction looking back towards Bedlington with the line to North Blyth diverging to the left. The crossover in the foreground will be removed and the track plain-lined in a blockade which started at 22:00 today.
UPDATE:
Yesterday I promised you a comparison shot. Here it is. This is Blyth staithes yard seen on the 27th December 1989 and a picture from the same spot yesterday.
Almost nothing remains, apart from the old railway bridge that we were stood on.
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/
Off again! Today’s a bright sunny day here in West Yorkshire although I was dismayed to see we’d had an early morning shower the forecast had failed to predict as I’d left some washing out overnight! Ho hum..
Now, after walking into Halifax whilst enjoying the rising temperatures I’m aboard Northern’s 08:54 to York which is taking me East towards my ultimate destination – the East Yorkshire coast and the rail line from Hull to Scarborough via Bridlington. I last traversed the line in 2019. Since then there’s been several changes which require a picture library update. I’m playing catch-up in this respect due to Covid clipping my travel wings, leading to a 2-year hiatus in documenting many lines. Sometimes I think we should add PC (pre-Covid) to the lexicon in the same way be have BC and AD.
I’m back to using Halifax after favouring Sowerby Bridge for a while. My steed awaits…
Looking at the live running schedules I suspect I’m in for another ‘interesting’ day on the railways due to late-running and cancellations. My onward connection at Church Fenton’s been cancelled so I’m going to change at Leeds. There is a direct Halifax-Hull service at 09:17 but I note the next one after that’s cancelled already. I’ll see what happens when I get to Leeds…
I’ll be blogging throught the day so feel free to pop back to see how the day unfolds!
10:15.
Sometimes, trains running late works to your advantage. I’m currently relaxing aboard a TPE service to Hull which was 25 mins late at Leeds. Catching this rather than my Northern ‘stopper’ made sense. Besides, it has tables AND plug sockets, something the dear old Northern 158 can only dream of. Plus, the tables are at a sensible height and don’t cut off the circulation in your legs.
Whilst I was at Leeds this unusual visitor rolled in on service from Sheffield. One of the very first Class 150s. Built as three cars, these units spent most of their working life in the Birmingham area until they were transferred to Northern.
12:00.
I knew it was going to be one of those days! On arrival at Hull I found my 11:21 train to Brid was cancelled. This was curious as it was shown on many systems as still running. Then the penny dropped. It ‘was’ running from Sheffield to Hull – where there was a crew change for the onward journey to Bridlington. Hull (like Bradford Interchange) is one of those locations where crews change ends, so it has a traincrew depot where the staff have different route knowledge and work different diagrams, so no-one was available to take the service forward from Hull. This meant I was kicking my heels until the next departure at 11:59, which turned out to be a 2-car Class 158 to take three trainloads of people. Nice!
It’s events like this that put so many ordinary people off travelling by train. The combination of stubborn unions who can’t see the collateral damage their dispute is causing, plus and an equally obdurate government unwilling to negotiate as its playing politics is causing the rail industry untold harm.
17:30.
Apologies for the gap in updating but I’ve been busy exploring and checking out a place I’ve never really visited before and that’s never been on my ‘bucket list’ – Bridlington. Well, that was an eye-opener. I’m no stranger to UK seaside towns, I grew up in one after all – and I’ve visited them all. From Southend to Skegness, Bournemouth to Bangor. But Brid? Hmmm…
I have to be careful what I say here as some readers get upset when I talk about what some call ‘sizeism’. But we really (really) do need to talk about it. I spent half an hour around the prom and environs at Bridlington.
Gridlock, Bridlington-style!The picturesque bit of the harbour…
What I would say is that if you’re in any doubt that the UK is facing an obesity timebomb that’s going to explode on the NHS – then just spend some time here during the school holidays. Let’s just call it ‘onset diabetes on sea’ and move on – as I did – to Beverley. But before I did I garnered enough library shots that mean I shouldn’t need to darken the town’s doors for a long time – if ever.
To be fair, the town’s trying. There was some really interesting ecological landscaping around the station on the site of the old carriage sidings which was better than I’ve seen in many places – and the station staff have maintained their reputation for fantastic floral displays. It’s just a shame the famous old station pub has shut its doors for the last time.
Beverley’s a different world – and more mine. It’s an old market town with a cathedral that has a completely different atmosphere. The town was festooned with flags supporting ‘Pride’ week. Many restaurants had spilled out into the street with outside tables and people eating a variety of foods, not just fish or burgers and chips. In contrast to Brid – even the fries were skinny!
The town also boast a station with an impressive and original overall roof – although the NER footbridge is downsizing and losing its wooden roof.
Beverley – a classic NER station.
19:00.
Much as I enjoyed a break in Beverley and the chance to reacquaint myself with the town I had one more place to try and tick off the list. Driffield. This is another station that used to have an overall roof but that was lost many years ago. Even so, some lovely buildings remain and the local station friends group have worked wonders with restoring derelict land at the back of some of the buildings – as well as by the extended car park.
A few years ago this was nothing but rubble…
As it’s a lovely evening I feel like I could stay out and make more of it, but I need to begin my journey West as I’ve a few more busy days ahead. Besides, the day’s not over yet…
20:00.
I was optimistic in hoping that the earlier spate of cancellations may have passed, but no such luck. Still, they’re a minor convenience and only a slight delay as the 20:15 Hull to Halifax is running. All I have to do is hang around for that. I’ve been in no hurry to get home as I’ve tried to make the most of the day even if there’s been frustrating moments when the best of the light for photography was lineside and not being on the actual train. Never mind, I’ll be making up for that on Thursday! Now I can relax a bit and enjoy the journey back to West Yorkshire.
21:45.
We’re on our way from Leeds to Bradford and my wars ar startint to stop ringing. From Hull I was surrounded by a couple of dozen young guys (and a couple of girls) who were on their way to Leeds for a festival. Considering the fact they were drinking expensive piss in the form of small bottles of lager I can only assume either they’d been drinking all day or that they were lightweights!
23:30.
Home – after walking 14.5 miles and 31,200 steps according to my Fitbit. Now it’s time to curl up in bed ready for another busy day tomorrow when I’ll add a last few pictures to this blog. Until then – 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/
Time to tear myself away from the comfort of home and head off to the final event of the week and a meeting in Derby with friends and colleagues before enjoying a relaxing weekend at home (although our definition of relaxing may not be everyone’s cup of tea!). Hopefully, the railways will play ball today – and I don’t have to have anything to do with TPE, which is always a good start!
Let’s see how I get on…
10:45.
So far so good! Despite an earlier cancellation my Northern service from Sowerby Bridge to Leeds arrived on time. This 3-car service via Bradford’s certainly busy – I’d reckon about 75% full but I’ve managed to find a window seat from which I can admire the rain.
11:55.
Things are looking up! I had a 20 minuter interlude at Leeds which gave me time to take a few pictures before joining Cross-Country’s 11:12 service heading for Plymouth which is made up of two 4-car Class 220s, both of which are busy. I know because I swapped between sets at Wakefield to distance myself from the hen-party who were already breaking open the Prosseco! I’ve managed to find an airline seat in the rear set which is much more civilised. We’ve just pulled out of Sheffield where the weather’s brightening up. There’s still masses of heavy cloud but there’s multicoloured layers and individual formations rather than the uniform dullness West Yorkshire was suffering from.
17:30.
After an excellent meeting and chance to reminisce with old friends it’s time to head home. The railways are still SNAFU which has meant the train I was hoping to catch to Leeds has been cancelled. Instead I’m on plan B which is an East Midlands Railway service to Sheffield where I’ll select plan B. The weather’s changed completely. There’s mow this weird blueish tinge to the sky in which a weird yellow orb hangs…
18:55.
I’m late, but I’m finally heading North from Sheffield to Leeds. The irony? I’m aboard the same Cross-Country train (220031) that carried me South. Whilst I was meeting with friends it’s traversed most of the country. Now it heading back from Plymouth to where it started its day. Scotland.
Trains aside, my meeting turned into a trip down memory lane as other friends turned up. As a group we go back 15-20 years although none of us can work out where the years hsve gone.
Our group of friends is from right and left on the political spectrum. Politics aside the ome thing we care about and agree upon is the railways – and the univeral view is that the current government are awful. Then, when you have a multi-millionaire PM who flies everywhere by helicopter and has no idea of the importance of public transport is it any wonder we’re cynical?
19:50.
My Cross-Country train’s managed to deposit me at Leeds – along with all those who thought they were going all the way to Edinburgh or points in-between. The train’s been terminated due to overhead line damage on the East Coast Main Line which is really going to bugger up some people’s weekend. Still, Rishi’s got a helicopter to gad about in whilst the rest of us bare the brunt of the amount of money his friends have sucked out of the public purse, so that’s alright then.
20:00.
I’m now on the last leg home aboard yet another Northern Class 195.I’m not complaining, I have a table seat, power points and air-conditioned, but more importantly – we’re on time.
22:00.
Home again – and I didn’t get rained on once – which is a bloody miracle this summer! I’ve had a great day catching up with friends and talking over old times, some of which I’d forgotten about. When we think back to some of the things we and other friends used to get up to in days that were more laissez-faire it makes for some great memories and stories that will be best told when some of the main participants are pushing up daisies!
Now it’s time for me to switch off and enjoy the weekend at home. That said, expect a few blogs and lots of pictures to appear here – and there.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I should be using a U boat*, not a train! Following on from what must be the wettest July for years August’s maintaining the pace. It’s been heaving it down all morning here in West Yorkshire. I’m currently in Huddersfield waiting for a late-running (surprise, surprise) TPE service to Newcastle to take part in a press trip.
The Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade is now in full swing with work compounds springing up everywhere – including in the old goods yard/former car park at the station. Soon, work will be starting on the station itself. Whilst I was waiting for my service East ‘Felix’ put in an appearance. No, not Huddersfield’s famous station cat, but the Class 68 named after them!
68031 ‘Felix’ purrs through Huddersfield on its way to Manchester Piccadilly.
09:40.
We’re currently speeding up the rain-lashed ECML North of York. There’s little to see through the watery windows so I’m making productive use of my time by editing some of the hundreds of pictures I’ve taken in the past couple of days.
11:15.
There will now be an interlude…
14:00.
I’m back. I’ve just completed a fascinating run along the Blyth and Tyne from Newcastle to Morpeth via Bedlington on a special train organised by Northumberland Conty Council. The scale of work being done to repopen the line to Ashington to passenger trains is very impressive. A simple reopening it ain’t. You’ll be able to read all about it in a future edition of RAIL magazine.
The weather was atrocious and hasn’t improved, so I didn’t hang around in Newcastle. Instead, I’m off to have a look at another (much less ambitious) project – at Hartlepool…
15:20.
Another washout. The rain just won’t stop! My trip down the Durham coastline has been shrouded by low cloud and the sort of rain that has you soaked in minutes. It’s a shame as I’d have lacked to have seen more of Hartlepool than just the station – althogh to be fair, that has some interesting features and the work to reinstate the 2nd through platform is coming on well. Both the Station cafe and real ale pub were closed so I stayed long enough to take some pictures and enjoy the warmth of Grand Central’s well appointed lounge before retracing my steps.
A great use of an old building, with good facilities that are clean and well-kept.
17:50.
I give up! The weather’s been so universally awful there’s been nothing for it but to cut my losses and head home. To compound things Trans-Pennine Express are having a ‘senior moment’. They seem to have forgotten they’re meant to be running trains. The excuse offered is a classic ‘last-minute timetable changes’. That’ll be cancelling trains to you and me…
I managed to catch an LNER service down to York which I managed to find a free seat on. Changing TOCs I’ve ended up on a rammed 4-Car Cross-Country Voyager which will get me to Leeds. I’m currently ‘doing a Jeremy Corbyn’ and squatting the front vestibule, which isn’t ideal as there’s a howling gale blowing in through one of the external doors…
20:45.
I’m home, enjoying being in the warm and dry whilst spending some time editing a few more pictures before calling it a day. Dawn’s had a ‘fun’ day at work too due to the impact the TRU work is having on her office which is withing the curtilage of Huddersfield station so poor Dee’s playing ‘catch-up’ too. Thankfully, the freezer’s well stocked with food we’ve made ourselves so a chicken Korma’s defrosting as I type this. To bring this blog to a close I’ll add one last picture. TPE haven’t covered themselves in glory today, Here’s one of their trains doing what a lot have been doing – sitting around doing nothing, this one’s at Newcastle.
I’ll be working from home tomorrow so expect a lot of pictures to start appearing on my Zenfolio website tomorrow. Oh, and the latest eBay sale’s started. It’s the beginning of the month so I’ve relisted several hundred old railway slides and other memorabilia that’s for sale. Just follow this link.
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/
What a great start to the week! I’m (slowly) heading down to London today ready to be in place to meet up with a friend as the pair of us will be looking at some of the “unachievable” HS2 construction works.
Not being in any rush I got some work done at home first, hoping the grim weather here in the Calder Valley would pick up and save me a soaking on the walk to the station. It didn’t. As I was engrossed in a phone call en-route I hadn’t checked how trains were running. The answer is – badly – which I only found out when I got to the station and checked the PIS. Apparently, there’s an obstruction on the line West of Todmorden that’s blocked both tracks. Most trains are cancelled with a few running to Hebden Bridge or Todmorden where buses will take us the rest of the way. The obstruction (whatever it is) is predicted to disrupt services until 17:30. Ho hum!
I’ll let you know how I get on and where I get to. This is going to be a long day…
13:00.
Hmm, plan B…
Having arrived at Hebden Bridge I had the option of waiting for the replacement bus service which wasn’t leaving for another 20 mins, or leaping onto a rammed York- Blackpool North service as far as Preston although I’d originally planned to get on the WCML at Warrington using the direct service to Chester. The train won.
I’m now wedged in a vestibule along with suitcases, prams and parents with offspring all heading for the seaside. I don’t envy them – the forecast for this week is crap!
Passing through Accrington. It’s grim up North…
14:40.
I’m finally heading in the right direction! I left my Northern service at Preston – as did many others which surprised me as I assumed the majority of folks were heading for Blackpool. Services on the West Coast seem to be in some disarray but I’ve no idea why at the moment. This time I’m unaffected and after getting a few shots in torrential rain joined the 14:18 Avanti Pendolino to Euston via Birmingham. It’s packed! So much for ‘no-one’s travelling by train anymore’. I’m perched on a tip-up seat by the toilets in coach D, although the friendly crew have told me the train’s due to empty after Crewe.
Approaching Wigan North Western.
15:50.
We’re just pulling out of Wolverhampton en-route to Birmingham. The weather’s will improved insomuch that it’s stopped raining and cloud level’s gained a few hundred feet, but that’s it. I’ll be changing trains and lines at New Street with the optimistic hope of getting some pictures. Let’s see.
18:50.
Apologies for the gap in blogging but I’ve been wandering around Birmingham getting pictures and soaking up the atmosphere. I’ve confessed this before but I really like the city. Its multiculturalism makes it a fascinating place to shop or just people-watch. Of course I was there for another reason too – which was to cast my eye over the ‘unachievable’ (according to much of the lazy UK media) HS2 work where progress looks anything other than unachievable! I’ll add a pic later. The weather was crap and I got a right soaking wating for the right moment but my patience was rewarded.
Now I’m chasing the storm that soaked me, heading South on a Chiltern Railways service as far as an old haunt – Leamington Spa. I can’t go all the way to Marylebone as the line’s closed due to engineering works. Instead I’ll be travelling via Oxford and Reading through to Paddington.
19:30.
The observant amongst you may have spotted the slight flaw in my plan. There are no trains running South of Leamington Spa at all – not just Chiltern ones. The line’s closed all week, which means I haven’t escaped the dreaded bustitution. Instead, I’m kicking my heels on a coach which will be leaving for Didcot in 15 mins. It’ll take just over an hour to get there. Ho ho hum…
To be fair, it’s an interesting experience. The staff (both rail and coach) have been excellent and everyone’s trying to make it as painless an experince as they can.
The Didcot coach is in pole position…
20:15.
So, here we are. Eight of us from Leamington rattling around on a coach to Didcot. Trying to put a gloss on it – at least I’m seeing parts of Leamington and the M40 I wouldn’t normally! To be honest it’s a relaxed journey. I’m in no hurry yo get anywhere. The rain’s cleared, leaving a lovely evening (although not great light for photography right now) so I’ll see how things turn out later.
21:15.
That was painless! Our driver’s estimate of 1hr 15m proved to be conservative, traffic was lighter than expected so we made it to Didcot in just over an hour. I didn’t hang around, much as I’d liked to have done as I have fond memories of the place – but it’s the wrong time of the day. Instead, I boarded GWR’s 21:04 stopping service to Paddington, just to enjoy the views and reminisce. I used to spend a lot of time on this route when I lived in London, but it’s not so easy when you live in West Yorkshire.
As you can see, this time of day my shuttle train isn’t exactly busy. The annoying thing? These electric trains should have been working to Oxford, not terminating at Didcot, but a certain Tory transport Minister (Chris Grayling) cancelled the project mid-stream.
21:45.
I’m now on one of GWRs express services to Paddington worked by another of those ‘unachievable’ schemes – the IEP project (see yesterday’s blog). I was tempted to jump on a slower Crossrail train (wasn’t that also ranked as ‘unachievable’? Ed) but getting there earlier allows me leeway to get some pictures at a station I don’t visit often enough nowadays. Paddington was always one of my favourites but then I’m old enough to remember it in the days of Wester region diesel-hydraulic locos like the ‘Hymek’ and ‘Western’ classes hauling old composite coach sets with buffet cars. It’s not quite the same anymore.
00:30.
Time to draw this blog to a close. There’s lots to talk about but it’s late and today’s another day. I’ll leave you with three ‘unachievable’ things. I’ve done today. Well. if you believe the mainstream media!
Here’s the ‘unachievable’ HS2 station at Birmingham Curzon Street earlier today.Oh, this is the ‘unachievable’ Hitachi Class 800 that carried me from Reading to Paddington earlier. I also took a trip on the ‘unachievable’ Crossrail (aka ‘Lizzy line) from Paddington to Farringdon earlier.
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/
It’s time for a day away form the office and out on the rails. But where to? I’ve several places on the list to tick off but – as often happens – I’m being governed by the weather forecast. East coast or West? The Midlands or London? The outlook’s promising on the East coast and I’ve unfinished business over in Lincolnshire, so Barton on Humber it is…
Feel free to keep popping in to see what I get up to today. Will I have the fun and games I had last time or will I actually make it onto the Barton branch this time?…
06:40.
Not a bad start. I’m on Northern’s 06:37 off Sowerby Bridge to Leeds via Bradford. I feel odd getting a Westbound train from here rather than Halifax but as its all downhill from home there are advantages! Around a dozen folk were waiting for the service which is worked by a 3-car class 195. There’s plenty of seats available so I’ve bagged a table. I’ll be curious to see how it fills up at Halifax.
06:45.
Between 35-40 people were waiting at Halifax, including one person requiring assistance to board so the guard’s deployed the collapsible ramp. As you’d expect this time of day most folk look like they’re on their way to work.
07:50.
Having reversed at Bradford Interchange my train to Leeds ended up comfortably full but not overcrowded. It certainly paid its way. Leeds station was starting to get busy but was easily navigable. The new barrier arrangements have created a lot more circulation space opposite the main stairs from the island platforms which has really eased the logjam that used to form. I was waiting there for my next train which was due in at platform 8.
No longer a logjam…
I was pleased to see this arrive, working the 06:56 from Skipton to London Kings Cross…
91106 looking very smart in its revised Intercity livery.
What I like about these old Mk4 sets is the still have a quiet coach behind the locomotive which is where I am now. The coach is rarely husy even when the rest of the train is – as is the case today. There’s only a dozen of us in here whilst the next car’s almost full.
I’m not going to count my chickens just yet, but today’s looking good. The weather’s certainly better than forecast with high hazy cloud and lots of sunshine. I only hope this holds up as I travel further East…
09:30.
Yet again, my time at Doncaster was extended by late running trains. Trans-Pennine maintained their reputation by being over 12 mins behind time at Doncaster. The reason given was a late-running freight train. I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t for the fact ‘Donny’ was quiet with little of interest to photograph. Even the railway works yard was bereft of stock apart from a few old coal hoppers.
I’m now chugging along through the flatlands of Lincolnshire East of Scunthorpe. The town’s steelworks seemed oddly quiet too with little trace of the smoke or steam that you’d expect from such a huge industrial location.
09:45.
I’ve just been for a wander through the train. Well, the rear 3-car set anyway. There’s only three of us in it!
Pick a seat, any seat…
Admittedly, I saw quite a few folk detrain at Donny but I’d have thought it would be busier than this. Have the bright lights and fleshpots of Cleethorpes lost their lustre I wonder? I’ll find out later. I’m off at the next stop – Grimsby…
11:00.
Nothing much has changed in Grimsby since I was here last. Platform 1’s still out of use (points failure) forcing folk to use the footbridge or queue for the lift from platform 2 which all services to/from Cleethorpes are using. TPE are still late. The service behind mine was still using the ‘stuck behind a late running freight train’ excuse. I wonder how long they’ll keep that up? I’ll look the services up later. Still, the sun’s shining and East Midlands Railway’s 11:08 to Barton on Humber is running, so that’s a plus. There’s new ticket machines on platform one and I stopped to admire the extra decorations…
13:45.
Made it – and the weather’s played ball too! My trip up the Barton branch took me as far as Barrow Haven where I left the train at a single platform station that’s bern totally rebuilt in the past year as the old one was subsiding. I’d chosen this location for two reasons. There’s a nice shot of the train crossing a bridge over an inlet and it’s also the start of a lovely walk that takes you along the edge of the Humber to Barton. The footpath’s sandwiched between the river and old, flooded claypits so the area’s a haven for wildlife as its covered in reeds. You also get a grandstand view of the Humber bridge as you walk up to it…
I’m now in Barton waiting for the train back to Cleethorpes after a really enjoyable walk and quick wander around the town. Judging by the amount of old or vacant shops it was obviously a prosperous place at one time but I expect the opening of the Humber bridge killed a lot of that. Even so, there’s still a lot of buildings of interest.
The station mirrors the town as its reduced in importance too. It’s a single platform station at the end of a long siding from New Holland. Only now it’s graced by East Midlands Railway 2 car, air conditioned Class 170s rather than the Northern (then EMR) single car Class 153s which were the lines staple stock for so many years.
Compare and contrast today’s view with this one, which was taken on my first visit to Barton in March 1990!
Despite the sparse service and unexceptional traction the line has appeal to railway enthusiasts who’re interested in history and signalling. New Holland was the site of a pier station for ferries across the Humber to Hull. Nowadays it’s a bulk port but two old signalboxes at Barrow Rd Crossing and Oxmarsh survive along with an array of semaphore signals (some new). At Oxmarsh Crossing you can even observe the single line token exchange between the signaller and driver – a rare sight nowadays.
The station at Goxhill’s also worth a visit. There’s a lovely old station building. Wooden level crossing gates and a well maintained signalbox.
17:25.
I retraced my steps as far As Grimsby where I paused to grab a last few pictures before catching a Trans-Pennine service Westwards. The good weather was turning as grey skies moved in so there was no point in hanging around. Well, until we got to Scunthorpe where I took a break in between trains to for a couple of lineside shots and a nearby Road Traffic Accident (RTA) where a car was on its roof in the middle of a main road. Welcome to Scunthorpe!
Now I’m aboard a Northern stopper from Scunny to Donny. The weather’s getting duller and looking like rain so I might just head home. I have the shots I need so there’s no point in hanging around.
20:44.
Home and dry – literally! By the time I arrived in Doncaster the rain was setting in and stayed with me all the way home. The light was so bad I put the camera away and relaxed and enjoyed the journey instead. There were quite a few cancellations of Calder valley services shown at Leeds so I took the ‘scenic’ route via Shipley to Forster Square then walked across town to Interchange. The homeless ‘tent city’ under the arches at Forster Square had disappeared but what was there was worse in many respects. Dozens of people were queuing for soup kitchens that had been set up just before I arrived. It’s a tragic sight that also makes me very angry. We’ve had 13 years of Tory Government. Instead of tackling this problem they’ve made it worse. But at least their donors are well fed, having trousered billions in dodgy PPE contracts during Covid, or enjoying their expense accounts as members of the House of Lords…
A story you won’t see in the media as so many of them are obsessed with the much more important story about Nigel Farage’s bank account…
I managed to find a train from Interchange that wasn’t cancelled and Dawn saved me a soaking by picking me up from the station. Now I’m fed and in the warm, relaxing and sorting out a few of today’s pictures for your delectation whilst watching the rain bouncing off the cottage windows. Here’s a taster of what I’ve been taking…
170514 crosses the Beck at Barrow Haven with a service to Cleethorpes. It’s a squeeze to fit a 2-car into the shot compared to the single car 153s that used to operate the line. The Humber bridge seen from the coastal path near Barton on Humber.A variety of work and leisure craft moored in Barton Haven with the Humber bridge beyond. Old shopfronts in Barton on Humber.
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It’s than two years ago that I was last exploring the coastline around Cleethorpes and the mouth of the Humber but changes to the railways have come (and gone) since. Trans-Pennine Express introduced their loco-hauled Mk5 sets to the route for a brief period, then just as quickly withdrew them. Meanwhile East Midlands Railway dispensed with their single-car Class 153s and replaced them on the Barton on Humber branch with something far more grand – Class 170 ‘Turbostars’. So, it’s time to head over that way and update my library and hopefully get some pictures for a client – subject to the weather behaving.
For the second day running, Dawn’s working from the Community Rail Network office in Nuddersfield, so I’m hitching a lift in with her to start my journey there. Feel free to keep popping back to see how the day unfolds…
0955.
Deciding to come to Huddersfield wasn’t my cleverest idea. I’d forgotten just how unreliable TPE services are nowadays. I’d have been quicker going from Halifax!
Arriving at the station I watched two Eastbound services come and go before I made it througb the barriers to the platform. A Newcastle bound train was timetabled to arrive a few minutes later but (TPE being TPE) the delays soon became to accrue. 5, then 10 then 15 mins. Finally, 19 mins late, 802201 arrived..
What kept you?
10:25.
I’m now heading for Doncaster after a fraught few minutes getting through Leeds. I’d planned to catch LNER’s 10:16 but congestion meant my TPE service was held outside the station for several minutes until a platform became vacant. I could see the 10:16 in the western bay (6) but my train sailed right through the station to the East end, making it impossible to reach 6 in time. Or so I thought. Fortunately, congestion delayed LNER too, so I made the train with a minute to spare!
10:40.
It’s going to be one of those days, isn’t it? I’ve just noticed that the train I’d hoped to catch from Donny to Cleethorpes was cancelled due to lineside cable theft – a problem once endemic but now (thankfully) rare. It’s affecting services to/from Sheffield which could put a damper on my day. Still, I’m going to have nearly an hour to watch what happens at Doncaster, and plan accordingly. There’s never a dull day on the railway…
12:45.
I should gave kept my mouth shut! We arrived at Doncaster 15 down due to more congestion. Then I found out the East Coast Main Line was seriously disrupted due to a train hitting a cow up in Northumberland. This is how the PIS looked.
Nice…
Trains were out of sync all over the place leading to lots of last-minute platform changes as signallers tried to deal with the congestion and confusion.
“The train now blocking platform 3 is going nowhere”…
Still, my enforced stay did offer some decent photographic opportunities. Such as of this beast heading to York.
Right now I’m on a TPE service crawling its way to Grimsby. I always forget just how slow the speeds are on this line. Needless to say – we’re running late and have just come to a halt at Harbrough during heavy rain. Yep, the forecast has let me down too. There was meant to be sunny spells this afternoon! Ho hum…
15:30.
What a classic day – for all the wrong reasons – but it’s a great example of the frustrations of this job. I arrived late at Grimsby Town to find that one of the two platforms was out of use due to a points failure. This was delaying trains to/from Cleethorpes as it’s a single line between the two. So I decided to stay on the train to Clee and see what the weather was like. It was crap. The heavy rain had passed over but the skies looked like they could deliver a deluge any minute. After grabbing a few shots I caught the same TPE service back to Grimsby as there were extra services to photograph and interesting features of the station to document, plus a footbridge which offered a decent view of the station and nearby level crossing. Having rushed to the footbridge to get shots of my train departing I noticed the barriers on the crossing remained closed. Yep, they’d failed too – cutting off a main road in the town centre!
There was nothing for me to do for half an hour other than take pictures but as Grimsby Town’s a station with some interesting architectural features that was no problem. My plan was to catch the late-running Barton branch train back to Cleethorpes, then do the full run. That plan soon collapsed at Cleethorpes when the train Conductor announced the return trip was only going as far as Ulceby (the Barton branch junction) due to yet another points failure!
It was at this point I decided a pint was in order. I’ve popped into a place I’ve never visited before. The ‘No1’ bar on Cleethorpes station.
It’s quite a blast fom the past to walk into a pub where the Frank Zappa track ‘Bobby Brown’ from his album ‘Sheik Yerbuoti’ is ringing out from the jukebox. And in Cleethorpes of all places!
So here I am kicking my heels in Cleethorpes. The Barton branch is out of the question. There’s train delays left, right and centre – yet the one bright spot (literally) is the weather as blue skies are rolling in from the East – only there’s nothing to photograph!
Here’s what I could have won. An EMR ‘Turbostar’ working the Barton branch.Class 185s aplenty at Cleethorpes earlier.
19:00.
I’m now back in Leeds and heading home to Halifax after admitting defeat. The weather and railway physics conspired against me so the only sensible thing to do was head home – especially as trains aren’t exactly of a metro frequency in that neck of the woods. I caught the first available TPE service West to Doncaster where I picked up a little bonus in the shape of one of LNER’s old loco-hauled sets to transport me to Leeds.
Just to rub my nose in it, the further West I travelled, the more the weather improved! Like everywhere else cancellations were dogging services through Leeds so I didn’t hang around. Now I’m on a Leeds-Chester service which will carry me back to Halifax.
Today’s a good lesson in how poor regional services are in the North. By rail it’s just as quick for me to get from Halifax to London (170 miles) as it is to Cleethorpes (76 miles) – despite the disparity in distance. Plus, I don’t really have to think about planning a London trip because of the frequency of services, but when trains are only hourly and two hourly it becomes a very different proposition, especially when services go tits up!
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s the only decent weather window that’s forecast for several days so I’m out and about updating some library pictures as well as images for a client. I’d two options but on one route the trains I was interested weren’t running, so – Windermere it is! Looking through the archives I’ve realised the last time I was there was June 2018 when services looked rather different to today.
My trip began at Sowerby Bridge where I caught a train to nearby Hebden Bridge to connect with the York – Blackpool North service that I’m on now.
My 2nd train of the day…
This was running 15 late on arrival but the performance of these Class 195s has allowed it to claw back a few minutes. Even so, I’ll miss my intended connection at Preston. On the bright side, there’s another train from Preston to Oxenholme a few minutes later that I should be able to catch. We’ll see…
10:35.
Bugger! We’ve just left Accrington where dozens of folks (many with prams) were waiting to join the train. This has delayed us further pushing us to 19 mins behind time, making my alternative Preston connection almost impossible. Now, what’s plan C?…
11:10.
Things are looking up! Our driver made the most of the 195s performance and slack timetabling to recover some time. When we joined the main line at Preston we worked parallel to Preston with an Avanti Pendolino but the damn thing was no good to me as it was heading to Blackpool too! We arrived in adjacent platforms (1&2), then I noticed it was 10:57. A TPE service to Edinburgh was due to leave at 10:59 and it hadn’t yet arrived. A mad dash across the footbridge to platform 3 allowed me to watch 397010 pull in – saving me from kicking my heels in Preston for an hour.
Saved…
Needless to say, this 5 car’s packed so I’m reduced to standing in a vestibule but it’s hardly a hardship for such a short journey. Only a few years ago this service was worked by 3-car trains. Now, even a 5-car’s ‘cosy’. I hate to think what it’ll be like in a few years time with the passenger passenger growth expected on this route.
14:30.
Sorry for the gap but I’ve been busy taking pictures and finding locations – not always successfully – as trees and bushes have a nasty habit of growing and blocking views!
I enjoyed being back at Oxenholme. Train services have changed a bit. TPE have their new trains on Anglo-Scottish services. Northern’s have changed too. Gone are the old BR units like the single-car Class 153s, now services are worked by 3-car Class 195s. The Windermere branch is no longer just a shuttle either. Instead there’s 6-car trains running to/from Manchester Airport at certain times of the day, although this presented me with a problem. They’re far too long to fit into scenic shots of the landscape! Thankfully, the 6-car I took out and back to Kendal buggered off to Manchester to be replaced by a 3-car, which just fits into the picture I have planned outside of Staveley. Now all I have to do is pray the clouds play ball. In the meantime, here’s a couple of shots I’ve taken so far.
Nowadays there’s a rather nice little food hall in the old Goods yard at Oxenholme right outside the station. There’s a cracking range of pies and sandwiches as well as outdoor seating where you can wait for your train.Having come up from Manchester this pair of 195s (195119 and 120) did a shuttle then (thankfully) headed South again.
17:30.
Job done – and the sun played ball, which is a minor miracle in this game. Now I’m making my way back South – although I may have deviated from the plan slightly…
No prizes for guessing that this isn’t actually the Windermere branch, but can you work out where I was?
19:00.
Just another day on the railway…
Back at Lancaster I noticed that my next Trans-Pennine Express train to Manchester Airport was shown as terminating at Preston. Not a problem for me as that’s where I was changing anyway. I’d factored in having an hour at the station to take some shots before getting the 18:44 Blackpool – York back to Halifax. When I got to Preston it was clear that all was not well. Lots of Blackpool services were running late or being cancelled. The 18:44 was shown as OK – right up to 10 mins before it was due when (within the space of a few minutes) it went from on-time to ‘delayed’, then cancelled. Rather than hang around for another hour I’ve caught a Blackpool Manchester Airport train via Bolton, figuring that I’ll take my chances in Manchester as there’s a more frequent service. It seems the chaos is being caused by an earlier fatality at Lostock near Bolton. An awful thing for all concerned.
19:40.
And relax! My diversion via Salford Crescent has worked well. Following a few minutes behind us was a Wigan Wallgate to Leeds service which will deposit me back at Sowerby Bridge just 20 mins later than my intended train from Preston. I’m now relaxing on a Northern Class 158 knowing I’m going to be home at a reasonable time after what’s been a busy and eventful day. Despite the difficulties the trips been profitable from a picture perspective, which is what it was all about. Mind you, I did enjoy rediscovering the Windermere line. With such lovely scenery and pretty villages (and the odd country pub), what’s not to like?
22:10.
I’m home and relaxing after a long day and over 10 miles walked. But I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures from the day…
Having arrived from Manchester earlier in the day, 195125 worked a couple of shuttle services along the Windermere branch before heading South once more. Now you can see why I didn’t want a six-car!Here’s the same unit later in the cycle, calling at Staveley en-route to Windermere.
On another note, spot the slight technical difficulty with this sign at Staveley…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Having spent the week working from home I’ve decided to make the most of the sunshine and get out and about with the camera. I’ve a whole list of places to visit and things to do, but today I’ve decided to head over to parts of the West Coast Main Line and the Midlands to update the library and also add pictures for a client’s list.
I’m currently on Northern’s 09:22 from Sowerby Bridge to Chester which I’m taking as far as Warrington Bank Quay. Formed of a 2-car Class 195 it’s been a busy little train all the way through the Calder valley as far as Manchester Victoria where many punters departed, only to be replaced by a smaller number of travellers heading West. The extra space has allowed me to set up my ‘mobile office’ in a free table bay and start this blog.
Right now we’re threading our way through the ever-growing skyline of Manchester and Salford. It’s such a contrast to the city I remember as a teenager in the 1970s, when the city seemed to be in permanent decline. How times change! Now, even long-derelict areas like the old canal basin at Middlewood locks adjacent to the railway line in Salford are being covered in new 8-storey apartment blocks.
10:55.
The rest of my trip to Warrington was relaxed and uneventful. On arrival at Bank Quay I only had time to grab a quick shot of my train before my onward connection arrived at the adjacent platform in the shape of 11 car Pendolino 390118.
Off one, onto another…
Whilst I’m not a great fan of the new seats on the refurbished Pendolino seats but I do like the positioning of the airline seat power sockets and table arrangement.
11:30.
Ah, the fun of Crewe! I arrived on plenty of time to catch my onward connection and even had time to grab a few shots of trains under the skeletal canopies that ‘cover’ the stations Southern bays. The shadows their rusted ribs cast are quite atmospheric. I was here at a busy moment with trains aplenty. Pendolinos kept arriving from North and South whilst a Transport for Wales Class 67 loco-hauled set added to the atmosphere – and noise!
“The train not arriving at platform 7″…Appearing to have been freshly painted in TfW livery but not yet rebranded 67008 leaves Crewe for Shrewsbury and Cardiff.
I was here to catch the 11:13 London Northwestern service South. Well, me and a couple of hundred other people huudled on platform 7 waiting its arrival as it was late. Just to keep us active it was announced the set would roll into platform 4, which led to sheep-like scenes as everyone had to traipse over the footbridge to get there!
Today’s train was short-formed of a single Class 350/2 which looked like ot could be ‘cosy’ so I sprinted to the front car. Most folk couldn’t be bothered and crammed in the rear cars so whilst this coach is busy I’ve plenty of space – but no table, USB or power sockets as these sets aren’t fitted with such luxuries.
11:55.
All was well until we arrived at Stafford where dozens of people were waiting. I was quickly surrounded by a bevy of well-dressed and spoken women heading for a day out. Well, it’s better than the old days of catching trains back North from Euston on a Friday evening. The ‘sweaty socks and spirit levels’ express as a female friend described the Liverpool train!
15:10.
The past few hours have been fun as I’ve been exploring lines I rarely use as well as (very) old haunts. The group of ladies I shared a coach with turned out to be a bridal froup heading to London via the slow train. I left them behind at Rugeley Trent Valley station South of Stafford. It’s a useful photographic location as the reverse curves here show off the Pendolinos tilting prowess to good effect. It’s also the junction for the line through Cannock to Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. Having been electrified in recent years the line’s now graced with a 30 minute service, so I couldn’t resist a spin to visit a station I’ve never been to before – Rugeley Town. It’s a modest station in a modest town. Staying long enough to get some pictures you’ll see later I headed on to Walsall…
I remember Walsall. Well, sort of. I lodged here in 1977 in the far-off days of Labour Exchanges, when the government would actually pay for you to look for work. I’d been training as an apprentice Locksmith up in Southport but lost the job. The Labour exchange gave me a rail travel warrant, arranged accommodation for me in Walsall and arranged a series of interviews for me in nearby Willenhall – the centre of the UK lock trade, where all the big companies (Yale, Chubb etc) wrre based. I stayed for a week, then decided this was’t for me. So, getting off the train as Walsall today I couldn’t resist a quick look around the station and town centre. I didn’t recognise or remember a damn thing! Well, it was over 40 years ago and I’ve been to a lot of places since!
The first building I saw outside the station. Great top floors – shame about the awful shopfront.My carriage awaits. Going from Walsall to Wolverhampton the long way round via Birmingham New St.
21:30.
I’m now back at home having travelled into Birmingham via Bescot, past the HS2 station work at Curzon St, then on to Stafford for a quick break before catching a packed Cross-Country Voyager back to Manchester. Leaving the station I bumped into Ian Brown, former MD of London Rail under Transport for London. The two of us discussed various railway woes as we walked across to Piccadilly Gardens where we went out separate ways. Him to his brothers and me to Victoria to catch the train back to West Yorkshire.
I’ll fill in some of the gaps in this blog tomorrow. Right now I’m going to add a few more pictures as a taster.
A pair of the new Class 730s (730040 and 730004) on test between Crewe and Nuneaton, seen at Rugeley Trent Valley. 390112 begins to accelerate after being brought to a halt at Rugeley Trent Valley by a signal check. The joy of a Cross-Country Voyager on a Friday afternoon…
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/
Yep, I know it’s rather late in the day for a rolling blog but this is the best format to describe the day – and I’m still out and about.
I’d always hoped to get out today but the weather’s been grey and wet, so my original objective of garnering some scenic rail pictures went out of the window. But I did have another idea in mind. A discussion about surviving railway signalboxes has been generated on Twitter following my outing the other day. This reminded me that there was one old box at Pontefract I’d never managed to get a picture of as the sun was in the wrong place. Not a problem today – obviously! That said, I’ve not been around that area for years and was overdueca visit. So, after completing some other work this morning I decided to head off to ‘Pontycarlo’.
Walking down into Sowerby Bridge I jumped the first train to Leeds. I’d have preferred to have caught a Grand Central train direct from Halifax to Ponty but I was too late in the day. The trip to Leeds was fine. The train wasn’t too busy and Leeds station itself was in that quiet time between rush-hours and the mad influx into the city for a Friday night on the town.
My local service to Pontefract was late due to the fact two units had to be joined to form the service and one was late arriving. Sadly, this route’s worked by Class 150s now rather than the old ‘Pacer’ railbuses which I much preferred (although plenty of ordinary passengers would disagree!).
Arriving at Pontefract Monkhill I made a quick dash through a former council (or possibly NCB) housing estate to the kevel crossing where I could spy the old signalbox. It was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1912 and its showing its age – not helped by a fire that damaged a lot of the wooden structure in 2019.
The colliery it allowed access to (which was to the left of the picture) is long-gone by a decade or more. Now it’s a housing estate. The box itself was originally blanned to have been abolished in 2019 but like many of Network Rail’s resignalling plans it never happened. Who knows how long it’ll last now?
Right now I’m heading back to Leeds aboard yet more late-running Class 150s. It’s been an interesting day. Partly because I realise I got to see the last of the Yorkshire coal traffic by moving up to this neck of the woods in 2010. So much has changed in that time, even though to me it seems recent.
At some point I’ll write a blog dedicated to the surviving signalboxes of West Yorkshire. I have pictures of all but two. Once I’ve snapped those…
One of the joys (and frustrations) of railway photography for someone who’s trying to document the whole scene is it’s a bit like trying to complete a jigsaw. One wgere people keep removing and adding pieces! You’re never going to finish the picture, all you can do is try and leave as few missing pieces as possible.
17:40.
I’m back in Leeds and waiting for the 17:43 to Manchester Victoria to leave. It’s remarkably quiet in the front unit but I suspect that’s because it’s a ‘poets’ day in June. The station’s busy, but that’s with people heading into the city on a night out rather than returning home.
21:45
It’s time to end the day – and the blog. But I’ll do that with a few more pictures. On the way home from Halifax I did pop into our local pub to catch up with friends whom I’ve not seen for a few weeks as Friday night’s quiz night. Here’s some of the types of beer on offer.
Meanwhile, here’s a couple of extra pictures from the day…
LNERs ‘Azuma’ number 800109 is ready to leave Leeds for London Kings Cross. Later in the day, Grand Centrals Bradford – Kings Cross service worked by 180105 is about to call at Pontefact Monkhill whilst working 1A67, the 1450 Bradford Interchange to London Kings Cross.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 