Category Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Behind the scenes…

24 Monday Jun 2024

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

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09:10.

We’re being treated to glorious sunshine here in the Calder valley this morning, although I’m not going to be around to enjoy it as I’m on my way to Manchester for another visit to Manchester’s Newton Heath depot in order to get the pictures and info I need for a future RAIL article.

My fellow passengers on the 09:02 from Sowerby Bridge are all dressed for the summer as everyone’s making the most of the good weather whilst it lasts. Finally, the winter layers and rainwear have been discarded – for now at least. The Class 158 I’m travelling on is in summer mode too – all the windows are open as the air-conditioning is struggling already!

After my depot visit’s concluded I’ll be spending some time exploring the railways around Manchester and making the most of the sunshine. Feel free to pop back later and see what I get up to….

16:00.

Sorry for the gap but things haven’t gone entirely to plan! My visit to Newton Heath was excellent. I was given a full tour, learned a lot more about operations and future plans whilst also getting pictures of different depot facilities.

An empty ‘parlour’. This is the only part of the 1876 steam shed that remains. Note the WW1 memorial which has been installed at the end.
Here’s a look inside the new St Mary’s building which is a world apart from the old steam shed.

It was only afterwards that things went a bit ‘Pete Tong’. I’d decided to make the most of the weather and explore the old ‘Oldham Loop’ rail line to Rochdale which is now part of the Manchester Metrolink tram network. I’ve not travelled this line for several years so today seemed like an ideal opportunity. I traversed Oldham on foot to get pictures then caught a tram out to an old haunt – Shaw and Crompton.

Tram 3097 calls at Oldham Central tram stop in Union St. To the left the old Prudential building is slowly reclaimed by nature.
Tram 3139 leaves Oldham Mumps tram stop on its way into Manchester. There’s a lot of regeneration happening around here but the amount of empty commercial properties is depressing. The old mainline station was down the hill to the right.
It’s changed a bit since I first got to know the area! The Metrolink station has been built to the South of the level crossing and site of the national rail station.

It was then I became aware of an issue with my footwear. I was wearing a pair of safety shoes with steel toecaps – sensible and required footwear for wandering around a depot – but I’d not worn them for a while as most of the jobs I do require safety boots, not shoes. As I walked along the platform at Shaw and Crompton I became aware of a flapping sound. Looking down I realised my shoe soles were very rapidly disintegrating as well as coming away from the uppers! There was nothing for it to head back home for a change of footwear and hope they’d last long enough to walk back in. Thankfully Dawn had a free moment and was a star. She drove down to Halifax station to deliver me spare shoes in order that I could complete my explorations. Talk about a life-saver. Needless to say, she now has even more credit in the bank!

I wasn’t expecting this!

Leaving Halifax I caught the local shuttle down to Huddersfield in order to check out TRU work. Since my last visit one of the platform shelters has vanished, while the scaffold and crash deck that’s being built under the existing roof has extended even further Eastwards. The wooden waiting room on the island platform is slowly disappearing too. It’s being dismantled piece by piece so that it can be stored before being re-erected on the station at a later date. The interior’s now been stripped out and the windows have all disappeared.

Notice anything missing?

Right now I’m on a TPE service back to Manchester to pick up where I left off. The weather’s changed with cloud building up but I’m optimistic I’ll still be able to get some good library shots.

22:15.

I’m back home after a busy but productive day. I did manage some extra library shots but for once the weather changed for the worse in the evening, meaning we lost the sun and gained low cloud instead so I called it a day earlier than planned and made my way home.

Having been transferred to Northern from the West Midlands, 323220 has become a common sight in Manchester. It was at Piccadilly this evening before working a service to Crewe.

I’ve still got over 27,000 steps in the bank, which isn’t bad when all I’d had to eat was 3 bits of bacon and an egg for breakfast and an apple for lunch. Mind you, I’ve been guzzling water like it’s going out of fashion, so that’s helped fill the gaps. I’m surprised (and rather relived) that my fasting regime isn’t more challenging, although I was looking forward to getting home and consuming my last allowance. I’ve found baked beans fill you up nicely – and so far, there’s been no unfortunate side effects…

Tomorrow I’ll be working from home all day and prepping for both 3 Peaks by rail and the holiday afterwards, so expect a picture dump and a few other bits on the 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/

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

Rolling blog. Off to RAIL live…

20 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by in Photography, Rail Live 2024, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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04:45.

Ugh! The alarm went off at 04:15 and I’m now showered and on mt first cup of coffee – but it won’t be my last. Today’s going to be a long day. But first things first, which is a long walk to the station, which should get the blood pumping. On the bright side (literally) is the weather’s fine and the sun’s almost up. Let’s see how things go…

05:55.

The walk to Halifax station was very pleasant. The town’s not woken up yet and the streets were deserted. Plus, the slight chill in the air meant there was no danger of overheating. Now I’m on Northern’s 05:45 heading for Manchester on the first leg of the route. Today it’s a 4-car and at the moment pretty quiet with just half a dozen of us in the front car.

07:45.

When we passed Newton Heath depot in Manchester I had to do a double-take as the ranks of Northern liveried trains was broken by a pair of interlopers. A pair of Transport for Wales class 150/2s occupied one of the sidings. Made surplus by Wales’s investment in new trains they’ve been cascaded to Northern. I wonder if they’ll be pressed into service before they’re reliveried?

On arrival at Victoria another unusual sight greeted me. A rake of Pullman liveried MK3’s, top and tailed by a pair of Class 47s sat in Platform 4. It turns out this was a West Coast railways dining train heading down to Ascot for the races. The return working gets back to Victoria after 1 AM tomorrow, by which time I expect the occupants will be very wined and very dined!

I didn’t have time to get a picture as I needed to hotfoot it across the city to get to Piccadilly in order to catch my next train. I’m now aboard Cross-Country’s 07:03 to Bristol, which I’m using to get to Birmingham New St. The service was quiet leaving Manchester but we’re now South of Stoke and the 5-car units filled up considerably en-route.

09:30.

Well, that was fun! On arrival at Wolverhampton we got told that – due to a ‘train in difficulty’ ahead of us we were being diverted via Bescot and Soho Junction. Passing Bescot was sad. Most of the old freight yard’s abandoned with all the overhead wires stripped out, only the skeletal portals tell the tale of how how many freight trains used to be electric hauled. The rest is just fans of rusting, weed-strewn sidings. The once-busy loco depot disappeared years ago, to be replaced with a wagon repair shops. The area’s a world away from the incredibly busy site I first visited way back in 1977.

We arrived at New St 15 minutes late but that still gave me time to walk over the Moor St where I picked up my scheduled connection. I’m now aboard Chiltern’s 09:15 heading to Warwick Parkway where I can catch the free coach service to Long Marston.

18:00.

I’m back! Sorry for the interlude but not only is Long Marston difficult to get to but the phone reception is awful. Plus, I didn’t have a spare minute to blog as there was too much to see/photograph and people to catch up with.

If you’ve never been to RAIL live you won’t appreciate just how much shoe-leather you wear through. It’s a huge site and it’s getting bigger each year. But then it has a 3.5km long test track, miles of storage sidings and the event brings in 100s of stalls and outdoor displays. I’ll add some pictures later, but to give you an idea. There’s 100s of millions pf pounds of new (or nearly new) trains in store on the site, as welll as re-engineered Porterbrook Class 769s rendered surplus before they were even introduced by GWR. Then there’s the exhibition stands. Ever seen a ‘robo-dog’? There were several on site. These incredible automatons that look like they’re out of ‘Star Wars’ are used for surveys and inspections. Then there’s some cutting-edge Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs) that look like spiders because of their flexibility. They can literally crawl across the land through their use independently wheeled arms. The first to be registered on the UK rail network was on display.

But RAIL live isn’t all about technology. There’s three stages where discussions take place with humans. One of the most powerful was with Ukrainian railways, who explained how they keep the network running amidst the biggest European war since World War 2. Whilst we’re all dressed in lightweight high-vis jackets one of their number talked about trying to raise funds so that Ukrainian rail workers can wear the version they need. Bullet-proof high-vis. Sobering…

I left the site around 1500 as I was offered a lift with old friends (other RAIL magazine alumni) who dropped me off at Stratford-upon-Avon where I caught a train to Birmingham. It’s such a lovely evening I’d have been tempted to stay for a pint in Birmingham, but the journey back to Halifax is long and slow – and will be for decades – thanks to Rishi Sunak’s capricious decision to scrap HS2 to Manchester. Now I’m on a busy 5-car Cross-Country service to Manchester Piccadilly. Fortunately, I’ve managed to blag a free table seat to set up the mobile office and begin downloading today’s pictures.

22:50.

I’m home – and knackered after a long day in which I’ve walked over 14 miles with a camera pack on my back on one of the warmest days of the year so far. Despite that, it’s been a really good day. There’s lots of photos to sort out tomorrow, but right now I’ll leave you with these.

A line-up of Class 701s. A lot of very expensive, brand-new (but stored) trains. Most will be over four years old before they turn a wheel in revenue service.
No, it’s not out of ‘Transformers’ – this is real! These flexible machines are incredible bits of kit. I’ll add more details tomorrow.
More futuristic kit. ‘Robo-dogs’. They’re house-trained and they don’t shed hair. But they’re not pets either. They’re a very flexible tool for carrying out inspections and diagnostic work in dangerous and/or confined spaces – or even in the open air.
– and here’s one that we made earlier… These bi-mode Class 769s were due to be used by GWR. Instead they’ve ended up in store here at Long Marston.

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. Out on the TRU rails again…

12 Wednesday Jun 2024

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, Travel, West Yorkshire

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12:20.

I’m currently in Huddersfield, having travelled in with Dawn in order for the two of us to work from the Community Rail Network office in the old water tower at the station. Getting in to the office is ‘fun’ nowadays as it sits inside a fenced off TRU compound!

The CRN water tower surrounded by building materials and plant. We have to skirt the edge of this lot to get into the office…

My morning’s been spent on a couple of ‘teams’ calls with some Northern Rail staff as background for a forthcoming RAIL magazine article. The chats were really informative, which will really help the article. Now, they’re finished I’m heading out to have a look at some more upgrade work on the line from here to Leeds. Feel free to pop back and see what I get up to…

14:20.

Platforms at Huddersfield slowly disappear under scaffolding.

I’m currently at Mirfield, where the new platform 2 is really starting to take shape.

Earlier I popped in at Ravensthorpe where an awful lot of earth is being moved around.

The new alignment is going to pass through the middle of this picture taken from the existing Ravensthorpe station. The existing alignment to the left will be abandoned.

17:30.

After a very long diversion at Ravensthorpe due to a footpath closure, I made it to the bridge West of Ravensthorpe where I got these pictures (captions later). As you can see there’s going to need to be some tree trimming before the line’s electrified!

185134 passes the site of the new Ravensthorpe station whilst working 2M78, the 1458 York to Manchester Piccadilly which is routed via Castleford and Healey Mills.
Whilst the other side of the line at Ravensthorpe has had vegetation cut back, the Eastbound side is in serious need of the same treatment.

21:45.

I’m back at home on what’s turned out (weatherwise) to be a lovely evening – something all too rare this year. Now it’s time to bring this rolling blog to an end with a couple more pictures from my TRU travels.

This scene will change dramatically over the next few years. Here’s 66847 approaching Thornhill LNW Jn from Healey Mills.
The site of the new Ravensthorpe station slowly takes shape. The bridge some of the other pictures were taken from is seen in the background.

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. Daytripper…

05 Wednesday Jun 2024

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

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09:00.

Typical! Today – after a short shower – the weather’s turned sunny here in the Calder valley. So, where am I off to? London, for a Siemens Ltd press lunch. Today’s merely a day trip to attend the lunch. This is an opportunity to chat to Siemens Senior management team, learn about what’s going on with the company in the UK right now – and meet up with fellow industry Journos for a couple of hours. After which I’ll get a few library pictures and head home.

Right now I’m on Northern’s 08:43 from Halifax to Leeds. Today this is made up of a pair of 2 car Class 195s. It’s not as busy as usual so I’ve blagged a table seat and set up the mobile office to get some work done en-route. I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop back to see what I get up to…

09:45.

My stay in Leeds was brief. We pulled into the platform adjacent platform 9 where LNER’s 09:45 to Kings Cross was waiting. Within minutes I’d transferred to an empty 9-car Azuma where I set up the mobile office on a vacant table bay in Coach C.

801213 sits at Leeds this morning before heading to Kings Cross.

Now it’s time to relax and enjoy the trip. That said, I feel sorry for anyone trying to head down the West Coast Main Line this morning. A fatality South of Watford Junction had closed all lines in and out of London Euston earlier. They’ve now reopened but it’s going to be a rough day out there…

11:00.

What a lovely day for heading South – although we seem to be heading into cloudier weather. For once, it’s grim down South! I’ve been busy clearing my email inbox and sorting out some picture editing, but I have had chance to check-out social media and the responses to last night’s ‘debate’ between Starmer and Sunak. It looks like Sunak walked into a trap.

The phrase ‘never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake’ seems rather appropriate. Last night Sunak lied. More than once to be honest, but the one that’s coming back to haunt him is the claim Labour will cost everyone in the UK £2000 in raised taxes. Anyone who’s economically literate and follows these things already knows it’s a lie, but Sunak’s following in Boris Johnson’s (lying) footsteps and hoping to get away with it. This is Sunak’s £350m on the side of a bus moment.

There’s only one problem. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has exposed Sunak’s lie in a letter that was sent a couple of days ago. So, Sunak was in no doubt he was lying. Starmer was in no doubt Sunak was lying, but Sunak did it anyway and then doubled-down on it today. But Labour have released the letter…

I’ve said for some time that this was going to be a dirty election with the Tories and the rest of the right-wing leaving no lie unturned in a desperate effort to win. The good news is that they’re not moving the dial (exactly the opposite). It seems so many people now see them as liars, they’re expecting it!

11:12.

We’ve just left Peterborough after our brief stop at the city. The bank of cloud on the horizon doesn’t seem to have got any closer so I’m optimistic that today’s going to be a good day. I’ve an hour to get from Kings Cross to today’s venue in Shoreditch in London’s East End so my plan is to take the scenic route. Well, as much as being underground is ‘scenic’!

18:15.

Sorry for the interlude but it’s been a busy day. As soon as I arrived at Kings Cross I spotted something other than trains at the platform ends – an old friend and colleague in the form of Rob Pritchard, Editor of Today’s Railways UK. The pair of us joined forces to travel over to my old ‘Manor’ in the East end via Thameslink, the ‘Lizzie’ line and London Overground which deposited us just a block away from where we needed to be in Shoreditch. Boy, has that area changed since I first got to know it in the mid-1980s!

Rob, myself and several other old faces from the rail press plus one or two from the national media then had a very pleasant and informative couple of hours chatting informally to Siemens Mobility’s senior management team for the UK. It’s rare that you get that level of access or the time to chat to people from a company. In truth, a couple of hours wasn’t enough, as much as people try and circulate between courses.

I’ll add a couple of pictures later.

Right now I’m heading back North (well, I did say it was only a day trip!). I’d have loved to have made more of the weather but I’ve things to do. Plus, Dawn’s away for several days from tomorrow. The journey home’s been made more ‘interesting’ by the fact the train I’d intended to catch – the 17:03 to Leeds has been cancelled due to a fatality – so that’s both East and West coast main lines afflicted by tragedies today. Instead, I’m on an Edinburgh bound service as far as York, where I can change and still get home earlier than if I’d hung around at Kings Cross.

20:25.

Changing at York turned out to be a good plan. I’m now at Bradford Interchange en-route to Halifax, having clawed back 15 mins. Not a huge amount in the scheme of things but at least I nanaged to add a few more libray pictures to the collection. The sun’s still shining in Yorkshire, but by heck – it’s cold!

22:30.

Time to call it a day. I’m back at home, spending an hour editing a few pictures before day’s end. So, as promised, here’s a small selection from the day…

A study in Azuma front ends at Kings Cross…
It looks underground, but this is very much overground. The interior of the elevated Shoreditch High St station.
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. Sitting down to lunch with Siemens senior management to talk about all things Siemens (and much more)…

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. It’s fun Friday…

31 Friday May 2024

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

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08:45.

It’s a bit of a busman’s holiday for me today. I’m travelling to London for lunch with an old friend, then heading back later as both Dawn and I have another (railway related) appointment tomorrow.

On my walk to the station I couldn’t resist taking a detour past the Big 6 to see what the film crew were up to. The surrounding streets are now clogged with trucks and vans whilst the pub itself has disappeared behind scaffolding which is holding the blackout curtains in place.

The front…
…and back.

Right now I’m on Grand Central’s 08:13 from Halifax to Kings Cross. There’s been a last minute set swap which has led to the service being worked by one of their hired-in Class 221 ‘Voyager’ trains rather than the expected Class 180. This has caused some confusion amongst passengers as the seat reservations are all mixed up!

A sea of reservation labels aboard this GC service.

I rarely travel by GC nowadays so it was lovely to bump into an old friend working the train. Javid is one of the original West Yorkshire crews. Most have left or (like Javid) been promoted. He’s gone from a Customer Service Assistant to Train Manager (Guard in old money). Quite a few of his contemporaries are now Drivers with GC or other train companies. We had time for a catch up after leaving Halifax and before the train filled up even more at Brighouse. GC is a real success story. Their passenger numbers have grown massively with most trains being fully booked (one of the reasons I don’t use them as much) so it’s good to hear they’ll soon be introducing a 5th West Riding service.

I’d planned to do some work on the train but on unpacking my bag I realised I’l left my laptop lead at home! I’d been sneaking around this morning in order not to disturb Dawn so hadn’t checked. The battery won’t last there and back, so I’ll take it easy, save it for later and enjoy the journey instead.

09:00.

We’ve just left Wakefield Kirkgate, which is a busy exchange stop for GC because many people use the train to get there from Bradford and Halifax. They’re replaced by other passengers for Doncaster and London.

En-route I had chance to observe TRU progress. The most noticeable changes are the massive mounds of earth being moved at Ravensthorpe where the ‘dive under’ junction is being created. I need to pay another photographic visit soon. The abandoned marshalling yard at Healy Mills is seeing some changes too with many of the old sidings being lifted to create space for the new TRU construction yard.

09:55.

Having found the wifi wasn’t working on my GC set, and having something I wanted to get shots off at Doncaster I opted to change trains. This gave me just long enough to photograph what I was after, grab some library shots of the GC train and crews swapping over, then board the following LNER service. I’m now chasing the Voyager which I’ll catch up at Kings Cross! The 10-car LNER service (ex Harrogate) is the train I was originally aiming for at Leeds. It’s packed full of families and groups en-route to the capital although I have managed to bag an unoccupied seat that had been reserved from Wakefield. The wifi’s working, so I’m quickly blogging from my laptop and catching up on some work before switching off again.

11:15.

We’re now South of Stevenage and the weather’s rather disappointing. I’ve left behind sunshine in Yorkshire for the grey and dismal South! Hang on, isn’t it meant to be grim up North? Apparently (according to the Met Office) my Southern sojourn may be enlivened by heavy showers and even thunderstorms. Ho hum…

11:40.

Arrived…

21:30.

Mind the gap..

Sorry about that but I’ve had a lovely time in old haunts in North London with a group of friends from the industry where Chatham House rules (and more) apply. Gosh, did we all cover some territory – from both ends of the political spectrum – but, as old friends we still remained civil. Now I’m back in’t North, aboard a train from Leeds to Halifax.

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

Community rail week. Day 2…

21 Tuesday May 2024

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

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07:30.

The team are preparing for today’s event in London. I can’t say anything about it until afterwards but we had a great planning session with some of the local station friends yesterday evening, so we’re looking forward to what’s going to happen. Why not pop back later to see what it is we’ve been up to?

13:05.

Phew, sorry for the gap but it’s been a busy morning. I can now reveal that we’ve been kept busy at Alexandra Palace station with an event that included a long visit by Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan MP, who spent time with local MP Catherine West, Community Rail Networks Chief Exec Jools Townsend and many of the local station friends and visitors from as far afield as Gipsy Hill. Here’s a few pictures.

The whole group get the message across…

I’ll add more details later. Right now my main task is to get the pictures edited – and begin my journey back North…

13:45.

Having got the pictures out to where they need to go I’m footloose and fancy free again, soI’m beginning my journey back North. I’ve really enjoyed being back in my old stamping ground – even if the weather’s been iffy (at least it didn’t rain in any meaningful way) but now it’s time to hunt for some sun and the chance to get a few more libray shots in the can. Right now, the next stop’s Stevenage…

16:50.

Stevenage proved to be quite literally a washout, thanks to the weather so I boarded the next available train to Peterborough – and old haunt from the 1990s. I did manage a few more library shots but whilst the weather stayed dry the skies were dull in the extreme. Now I’m on my way to Doncaster, although I don’t know if I’ll stop off as despite my moving North sunshine’s proving to be elusive.

17:00.

Doncaster was a bust, although clouds are lifting and every so often there’s a tantalizing glimpse of blue sky. Unfortunately, the works yard is empty and the station’s just as quiet, so I’ll stay on board until York where there just *might* be a couple of worthwhile shots to be had under the station’s magnificent roof. Plus, I can get a direct train to Halifax from there, which makes life easier.

19:30.

Like most plans, mine didn’t survive long. Whilst the weather had picked up many services were running from platforms oufside the trainshed, so less photogenic. Then my direct train to Halifax was cancelled, so I had to get a TPE to Leeds and pick up a late running Halifax service

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. Community rail week – day 1…

20 Monday May 2024

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

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10:45.

Community rail week has begun, and I’m off on my travels again as part of it. Right now, I’m on Northern’s 10:23 from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester in order to pop in on an event being held at Piccadilly station before making my way down to London this evening. After yesterday’s wall to wall sunshine the weather’s a bit of a disappointment as the Calder valley’s full of low cloud but I’m hoping things will improve as I drift South stopping off on the way. Feel free to pop back later to see what I get up to…

No 1 on day 1 to carry me to Manchester…

11:05.

Before I get to Manchester I’ve stopped off at Rochdale where the Calder Valley CRP are having an event in the station garden. There’s music – and cupcakes, so if you’re in the area feel free to pop in…

12:30.

My tour continues. On reaching Manchester I hot-foot it over to Piccadilly station where several CRPs (Community Rail Partnerships) and their friends have stalls today. There’s a lot of interest in the line and walking guides, along with the other goodies on offer. Both the Bentham and Glossop lines had sent delegations..

Now I’m on the move again, slowly heading South. Today I have a treat as far as Crewe in the shape of one of Transport for Wales locomotive hauled (or in this case, pushed) Mk 4 sets.

13:55.

I’m currently taking the scenic route as plans went slightly awry on arrival at Crewe. There was plenty of variety of traction on view – from old TfW single-car ‘Scuds’ working the Shrewsbury shuttle to brand new Hitachi built Class 805s on test before taking over from Avanti Voyagers later this year. Oh, and the nostalgia-fest that is LSL’s loco depot, which is a real 1980s throwback. Unfortunately a number of services were late or delayed, so I’m now heading for Stoke on a sideways shuffle aboard one of LNWs Class 350s. This one’s a former Trans-Pennine Express unit that used to work between Manchester Airport – Glasgow/Edinburgh before being displaced by more modern (and longer) trains.

14:50.

And relax! On arrival at Stoke I had 10 minutes to wait for a Pendolino to arrive which would whisk me to Euston via one stop at Nuneaton. There’s no more community rail events within my reach now so the rest of the day is purely a positional move. As I head South the weather’s improving. There’s clear blue skies and fluffy cumulous clouds instead of the grey I’d been used to, so now all I have to do is decide where I’m going to visit to get some library shots after hitting London.

15:33

Bugger! Just when I thought I was back on track! We’re currently running 26 minutes late (and being diverted via Northampton) due to – as the onboard screens inform us – a ‘safety inspection of the track’. Ho hum. Now I won’t reach Euston until 16:07 – and counting. We’re not the only service affected either. I’ve just had a quick look at ‘real time trains’ to check out Euston departures/arrivals. It’s not good. I expect it’ll be carnage on the concourse when I arrive.

16:40.

Carnage has been averted at Euston due to many departures leaving on time, which will keep passengers happy and the concourse uncrowded. But it’ll come at a price. Many trains will have been ‘stepped up’ (turned around quickly and reallocated to different services). Train crews bear the brunt when this happens as their dockets aren’t worth the paper they’re written on so hours get extended. Juggling the trains has issues too as some will have been heading to certain depots for maintenence to take place. They’ll end the day somewhere very different unless train controllers can get them back to where they need to be.

       

Euston. It could be a lot worse…

17:45.

Wandering down the Euston Rd from Euston to Kings Cross I bumped into Ndy Savage, an old friend and fellow Community Rail Awards judge. It’s what I love about London. You’re never far away from someone you know. Now I’m back in old haunts in Harringay, heading to tonight’s hotel…

23:30.

Time to bring this blog to a close. I’m kicking back at my hotel in Wood Green after meeting up with the rest of the CRN team ready for tomorrow’s big event. I’ll leave you with a few more pictures from today, with many more to follow tomorrow.

Manchester Piccadilly earlier, with people interested in details of some of the walking guides on offer.
Stoke station dominated by LNW Class 350s, including the former TPE unit I arrived on.
It could have been an awful lot worse. Despite the WCML disruption Euston station passenger flow remained in tolerable levels.
Buddleia’s not part of the station friends plan, but like many locations it’s encroaching on the lineside here at Alexandra Palace in North London.

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. Mixing business with pleasure…

17 Friday May 2024

Posted by in Barrow Hill, Food and drink, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:30.

We’ve another dull day in the Calder Valley but my Friday’s being brightened up by the opportunity to mix business with pleasure. I’m currently aboard a Northern service from Halifax to Hull which I’m using to get to Leeds before making my way (via a few changes en-route) to Chersterfield, then on to Barrow Hill roundhouse to attend the annual ‘Rail Ale’ beer festival for a few hours. Railways and beer? What’s not to like?

Here we go…

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

11:15.

After a short sojourn in Leeds I’m now aboard a Cross-Country service heading for Plymouth. Well, the train is, I’m only going as far as Sheffield! Made up of two 4-car Voyagers it’s a busy train although I’ve managed to find a free airline seat in the front car of the leading seat. There’s an elderly couple who got on with me at Leeds who’re travelling all the way as they’re heading to Cornwall. They’ll be on here for the next five and a half hours! They hadn’t reserved seats and were going to sit separately but one kind business chap offered to move and also helped them store their luggage.

13:15.

I changed trains at Sheffield, which led to one of those silly, petty ‘elf and safety’ events which – whilst rare, do seem to be coming more common again.

I was leaning on the fence at the North end of platform 5-6 waiting to take a shot when I heard urgent whistling going on behind me, turning around I noticed two platform dispatch staff bearing down on me from ine and the adjacent platform. Odd, as I was well within the public area of the station. One of the women shouted at me to ‘get behind the sign’ on a lampost set well back from the fence. The sign didn’t say ‘do not pass this point’, merely no unauthorised access – meaning don’t wander off the platform – hard to do now there’s a fence and cattle grid stopping you! I asked the second woman what I’d done wrong. I’d wandered up to the fence (surely, what it’s there for?). I pointed out the arbitary silliness of this, only to be told other had walked past the grid to go into the tunnels – something I was clearly not doing!  I couldn’t be bothered to argue as I was due to catch a train. But the upshot was two dispatch staff had their time wasted enforcing an arbitary non-rule rather than using common-sense, and I was left feeling that some rail staff really have lost the plot. Later I heard the same dispatcher hanguing passengers for not standing back from a train in the platform despite the fact it was minutes from departure, giving the feeling passengers are treated like nuisance sheep at Sheffield – not farepaying customers.

17:30.

Apologies for the gap in blogging but I’ve had a busy time at Barrow Hill meeting up with old friends, sampling beers and taking lots of picture (you’ll see some later). Sadly, due to other commitments I’ve had to leave this excellent event early. Right now I’m heading back to Chesterfield on an open top bus!

19:00.

I’m currently sat on another Cross-Country Voyager, this time heading from Sheffield to Leeds. You can tell it’s Friday as many younger passengers are travelling from town to cities en-route to a night out. Let’s face it, most can’t afford a mortgage anymore, so there’s little point saving so they’re the people disposing of their income in a fashion that’s keeping many bars and clubs alive.

21:30.

Home again. Despite it being a Friday and train services being extremely busy my journey back was rather pleasant. Now I’m busy editing pictures from Barrow Hill. Here’s a selection.

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. Homeward bound…

10 Friday May 2024

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

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07:00.

My time away has come to an end. Today I head home for a while until the next adventure. But first I’ve got to get there. Thankfully, the main rail strikes are in abeyance today, but last minutes changes are still possible. Let’s see hoe things go. First off it to get across London to begin the journey North. Today I’m taking that trip via the Midland Main Line…

08:15.

The pair of us are now speeding up the Midland Main Line on a very empty (and very dirty) Meridian, the first of the class in fact. Talk about tired – the train that is – not me! This one has the new seat mocquette but the quality of the fitting leaves a lot to be desired. The carpets are still threadbare and the paintwork inside and out is in a terrible state.

Not exactly London’s busiest rail service…

11:45

I said goodbye to Hassard at Derby. He went off to his meeting whilst I stayed to make the most of the good weather to get some library shots before catching an onward service to Sheffield. Here’s a couple of camera pictures.

The Meridian I’m on now (set 13) is lucky for me as at least you can see out of the windows in this train. We weren’t so lucky in the last one…

Still, it’s swings and roundabouts. The wifi doesn’t work on this set – unlike the last one!

13:15.

Well, that was fun. I joined a 4-car Cross-Country Voyager bound for Edinburgh for the leg between Sheffield and Leeds. It was rammed! I was ‘lucky’ enough to find a space to stand opposite the disabled toilet in the rear car. It was taking a hammering due to the amount of drunks sat in the same vehicle (and others elsewhere). I have to give full credit to the Train Manager, despite the obstacle course he needed to navigate he still managed to make a full ticket check!

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. Building bridges on HS2…

09 Thursday May 2024

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

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07:00.

In contrast to the past couple of days which has been mostly about new trains, today’s visit is going to be about building bridges – HS2 style. I won’t say just where yet, but all will be revealed soon. But first I’ve got to to to where I’m going, which means a cross-London journey from here in Clapham then a trip along the Chiltern line…

07:42.

The weather’s so good this morning I was up and out early in order to bank some time (and pictures en-route). Here’s how the changing skyline of Clapham Junction looks.

08:40.

Having arrived at Victoria I took a trip on the tube line of the same name as far as Oxford Circus where I changed to the antique line – sorry – the Bakerloo line, which operates the oldest and most decrepit trains on the network.

Now I’m at Marylebone, waiting for my next train. The station’s celebrating its 125th birthday this year so is decked out with bunting as a consequence. Not that many in the constant ebb and flow of passengers seem to notice!

At least the trains aren’t 125 years old…

14:30.

Mind the gap! Sorry about that. I’ve only just left the HS2 Thame valley viaduct site. My tour of the structure was extensive so and I was so engrossed in taking pictures and writing notes there was no time to blog.

This particular viaduct is 880 meters long. It’s a low lying structure that will carry HS2 over a flood-plain. I was here ladt year to see some of the first prefabricated concrete beams being installed. There’s been a lot of progress since.

One of two central piers in the viaduct. the poles and pile cap are far bigger as it from here the viaduct is tensioned and dynamic forces transferred. The 880m long viaduct can expand up to 450mm in each direction from these points.

Now, large sections of the viaduct are in place and progress is being made with installing the prefabricated concrete plants which form the bed of the deck. I’ll describe it in far more detail later.

15:15.

On my way back to London I couldn’t resist making a quick stop at Wendover, where the station is very close to some of the HS2 trace. Despite the claims of some residents HS2 construction doesn’t dominate the village as it’s on the opposite side of the noisy and busy A413. Since my last visit there’s been a number of changes.   One road which is at the Northern portal  of the ‘green’ tunnel’s been diverted over a new bridge spanning the trace. This bridge privides an excellent vantage point to follow construction of the route Northwards.

The bridge
The view from the bridge.

A short walk away is a footpath and the infamous memorial woods that anti HS2 protesters like Mark Keir lied about, claiming it was dedicated to dead children (it wasn’t) and it was being torn-up up by HS2 and ‘desecrated’ (it wasn’t). I covered their disgraceful, lying campaign in this blog at the time. In fact, the wood’s in rude health. I popped in and took this shot.

Meanwhile, the footpath to the South just past the memorial wood affords this view which is looking down the valley to the viaducts that cross the A413 and also Wendover Dean. Notice how the scenic nature of the valley has been ‘destroyed’ by HS2. Oh, hang on – what are those metal pylons – and how long have they been there?

23:00.

Time to bring today’s blog to a close. The weather here in London’s been lovely. Eating alfresco has returned to the streets of Clapham and the place has been buzzing. It seemed a shame to waste the eveing so the pair of us nipped out for a couple of beers to enjoy the atmosphere, but now it’s time to prepare for tomorrow which includes another early start with the pair of us travelling North together as far as Derby. 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