Category Archives: Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade

Welcome, 2026!

01 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Politics, Rail Investment, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, Travel, TRU, West Yorkshire

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The new year has started slowly here at Bigland Towers. After the excitement and fireworks that saw the end of 2025 we’ve taken the day off to potter around and enjoy the warm coziness of home before starting 2026 in earnest. January’s brought cold weather and threats of snow, so a day off seemed sensible.

New years eve was more productive. Despite the chill we ventured out by car to do some exploring. The railways annual Christmas shutdown has seen a lot of engineering work take place up and down the country. Some of that work will run well into January, but there was one local Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) project I wanted to have a look at. Mirfield station.

Over Christmas the rebuild of the island platform was completed and track through platform one was reinstated. Hording blocking it off were removed with passenger trains reintroduced from December 27th. There’s still a lot of work to complete as the new footbridge and lifts have yet to be commissioned, but the place looks very different to how it did just a few weeks ago.

Here’s how the station looked on November 25th. The lift towers were still swathed in scaffolding and the majority of the island platform was hidden behind hoardings. Here’s how it looks now.
The hoardings have vanished, along with the scaffolding. They’ve been replaced by new lighting and platform shelters, which whilst rather basic at least offer some shelter from the elements. The rebuilt island has been lengthened to be able to accommodate 6-car trains. The other major change is that the direction of the tracks has been reversed. Platform 1 now caters for Eastbound services as platform 2 has reverted to serving Westbound trains – although none are scheduled to use it at the moment until platform 3 is abolished.
Looking East from platform 3 you can see that the former Fast line has been disconnected and slewed to run through platform 2. The track running through the station’s been left in situ ready from when this becomes four-tracks again.
158782 and 158789 call at the reinstated platform whilst working 2L13, the 11:49 Wigan Wallgate to Leeds.
Almost ready. The new footbridge and lifts are seeing the finishing touches being completed and lifts commissioned. The lift in the right-hand tower will descend below the platform to the new entrance to provide level access from the street.

Having frozen to death in the wind to get these pictures we headed back to Halifax and home, but not before stopping off to photograph moody skies providing a backdrop to Castle Hill near Huddersfield.

Back home, Dawn busied herself in the kitchen to experiment with making her own thin-crust pizza bases. I’m biased (obviously) but I think they were a great success and tasted delicious when topped with seafood or chorizo, vegan cheese and chilli. I suspect these will become a regular feature in the Bigland household this year!

Whilst we weren’t bothered about spending midnight in the pub, we did pop out for a sociable few drinks in our local, the Big 6, before returning home to see in the new year sat in front of the fire, watching the fabulous London fireworks display. That brought back a lot of memories as I was there on the Embankment on the opposite side of the river to the wheel for the millennium display in 1999. There’s been a lot of water down the Thames since then…

Now it’s 2026. A year I’m looking forward to with cautious optimism. The world’s still a very uncertain place but there are grounds for hope. Russia’s war in Ukraine is going badly for them, and there’s signs that one of their key allies (Iran) is beginning to fall apart due to civil unrest. Of course Trump is still a major disaster, but the narcissistic old fool and his MAGA morons are in trouble in the polls and likely to have bad mid-term elections this year. In the UK, the wheels are starting to come off Nigel Farage’s latest bandwagon (Reform). His Russia connections are coming back to haunt him and the councils Reform run show every sign of being a fiasco waiting to unfold. Plus, despite all the Reform and media frenzy and speculation over Keir Starmer, the idea that there’s going to be a general election before 2029 is for the birds. And if a week’s a long time in politics, 3.5 years is an age.

The Labour government have proved to be a disappointment due to a lack of bravery, squandering a huge majority that they could have used to make important changes without fear of opposition. But, they’re nowhere near as bad as the media love to make out. They’re doing good things but the media resolutely refuse to highlight anything positive and concentrate on a stream of negativity. I’m hopeful Labour can get their act together on messaging, stop being timid and cut through to highlight the positive changes they are making.

If only the media spent as much time looking at how Nigel Farage’s girlfriend managed to pay nearly a million quid in cash for ‘his’ house in Clacton as they did obsessing about Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves tax affairs we’d be far better informed as an electorate.

On a personal front, I’m looking to spend January concentrating on some projects that have taken a backseat over the past year or so, which includes finishing scanning a lot of old slides which have never seen the light of day for decades. Then there’s travelling. I may not be heading outside of the UK for the next month, but plans are certainly afoot for later in the year.

I’m also intending to up the ante on blogging. Things slipped a bit in 2025, but now I’m back with a lot to say – and things to do…

In the meantime, let me with all my like-minded readers the very best for 2026. I hope you all have a fabulous year.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Cheers!

Paul

TRU update. Batley to Ravensthorpe.

12 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Yesterday (Thursday) the sun shone bright here in West Yorkshire, making a change from the dank and dismal weather which seems to be the norm nowadays. It spurred me on to get out and about for a few hours to look at some of the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade work sites that I hadn’t visited this year, as well as some I’ve been popping into regularly. I was also driven by the fact Ravensthorpe station closes this weekend so that the site can be cleared for the new fast lines flyover. Here’s a selection of pictures from the day.

802204 speeds through Batley as 1K16, the 1103 Hull to Liverpool Lime Street, passing the platform extensions which are being added to both Up and Down line platforms at the North end.
Looking down on Batley station from Soothill Lane bridge. It’s hard to believe this was once a junction, with the GNR Chicken Heath branch running off to the left towards Ossett.
A 1915 OS map shows the station and goods yard.
The dingy Batley station subway is due to be replaced by a footbridge with lifts which is being constructed at the Southern end of the platforms. I’ll span the tracks between the two lamp posts on the right.
Meanwhile, at Ravensthorpe, hardcore is being laid between the two side walls of the flyover. This will be the location of the slewed lines to/from Healy Mills.
Foundations of the Northern wall of the flyover are almost complete.
A last view of Ravensthorpe station which closes this weekend. 150215 approaches with a service from Leeds to Bradford Interchange.
That’s progress! Here’s the new bridges over the Calder and Hebble navigation. Since I visited on the 25th November two of the Eastern side girders have been put into place.
A closer view of the two new girders. The pillar nearest the camera waits to receive its girder, which is already hooked up to the crane nearby.
Passing under the new girders.
The last train I’ll ever catch from the old Ravensthorpe station. 15020 calls on the 14.02 from Bradford to Leeds.

On the way back I stopped off at Brighouse to get a couple of pictures and to visit the renowned Blakeleys take-away and restaurant, which is famous for the quality of its fish and chips. It’s next door to another Brighouse institution, the Market Tavern. It seemed rude not to wash my food down with a pint, so I called in for a ‘swifty’. The beer was in great condition and the pub busy, but I couldn’t help noticing that the clientele were almost all pensioners (shit, that includes me now!). Admittedly, most younger people would still be at work, but I wonder what the place would look like at 16:00 in say, 10 years time? Times are changing, and so are demographics…

Back at the station I couldn’t resist getting a picture of this history board. I’ve mentioned the tale of the man who broke the bank of Monte Carlo before, but here’s the full story…

If you want to see more TRU construction pictures, you can find the complete gallery by following this link to my Zenfolio website.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Cheers!

TRU Update. A look at progress around Bradley, Huddersfield.

05 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Friday’s weather turned fine for a change. Well, for most of the day, anyway. It gave me the opportunity to catch a train from Halifax to Brighouse in order to check out progress on The Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) around Bradley, to the East of Huddersfield. The area contains Bradley Junction, where the Westward connection from Calder valley line from Brighouse joins the Trans-Pennine route, and also for me to explore closer to Heaton Lodge Junction, further East.

There’s no train service from Brighouse to Huddersfield anymore. Instead, you have to catch a rail replacement coach which stops at Deighton before heading into Huddersfield. I struck lucky, as the vehicle I caught was a brand-new Mercedes coach which was seeing its first day in revenue service. John, the driver, explained that operator S-Line travel had bought 3 of the vehicles at a cost of £1.2m. I have to say, it certainly put the Class 150 I’d arrived on to shame when it came to comfort!

There two rail replacement stops at Deighton and John dropped me off at the Easternmost, where it was only a short walk to Colliery Bridge. Sadly, this arched bridge is now closed prior to demolition as it’s being replaced by a new structure to allow this section of line to be electrified. Here’s how it looks from Station Rd bridge further East.

It may be called Colliery bridge, but the colliery it was named for (which was out of picture to the left) closed in early Victorian times. The crossover you see in the foreground leads to the single-track spur to Brighouse. This was also the site of Bradley station which closed on the 2nd March 1950. No trace of the station remains.

Here’s the view looking the other way with Colne Bridge Rd in the background. A lot has changed since my last visit in June, with the first OLE masts having made an appearance, both on the existing line and also where the new Fast lines will be installed.

A TPE service for York worked by 185124 passes 802204 on a Newcastle to Liverpool Lime St service at Bradley. In a few years time they’ll use the new Fast lines which will be laid to the right of the existing tracks.

Moving on I walked up to Colne Bridge Rd but it’s impossible to get pictures there right now. The bridge carries a very busy and very narrow road which only has an (equally narrow) pavement on the Eastern side – which is where a replacement bridge has been built that completely blocks off any view! You can see one of the bridge abutments through the arches in the picture above.

Realigning the road here presents a challenge due to site constraints and the fact there’s an equally narrow bridge over the Huddersfield Wide canal just a few 100 meters South! I’ve marked the new road in red on this satellite image. I can only assume that (at some point) the bridge over canal will be replaced and realigned as it’s going to create a real bottleneck.

As it wasn’t possible to get pictures I walked on to the next bridge which involves a trek uphill before cutting down Bog Green Lane then along a road to the old sewage works where the existing (but also to be replaced) bridge gives this view Westwards.

In the foreground is a new Fast line bridge over the Colne river. Beyond that is a new bridge over the Huddersfield wide canal whilst in the background is the new Colne Bridge Rd bridge. OLE masts have made an appearance here too.

This bridge used to offer a commanding view of the new cutting being dug for the Fast lines to avoid Heaton Lodge Junction. Only now someone’s stuck this bridge in the way!
A TPE service for Manchester speeds under the new Bog Lane bridge. The new Fast lines will run in the foreground.

Finally, here’s a look at one of the new bridge sections over the Huddersfield wide canal at Lock No 2.

I’ll pop along for another visit to this section of TRU in the next few days.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Cheers!

TRU: Checking out progress between Mirfield and Ravensthorpe.

27 Thursday Nov 2025

Posted by in Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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On Tuesday the grey skies which have bedevilled us here in West Yorkshire took a day off, allowing me to get out with the camera and record progress on the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade between Mirfield and Dewsbury.

Having caught a Northern service from Sowerby Bridge we joined the Trans-Pennine route at Bradley Wood Junction, where earthmoving continues in order to create space for the new Fast lines. I’ll visit here again soon. My first stop was at Mirfield, where progress is steady but slow. Work on the new footbridge and lifts continues, as does the rebuilding of the island platform which is gradually creeping West towards Huddersfield. The most noticeable change since my last visit is that a long length of the Down Huddersfield line through the old platform 1 has been laid, although it remains unconnected and has yet to be ballasted. Here’s some pictures.

Much of the scaffolding around the lift tower has disappeared. Meanwhile, work continues on rebuilding the platform 1 side of the island.
Grand Central’s 180108 working 1A63, the. 10:29 Bradford Interchange to London Kings Cross slows to stop at Mirfield. You can see work continue on rebuilding platform 1 to the right. This scene will look very different in a few years when all four tracks are reinstated and electrification masts and wires abound!
Newly laid track in place on the formation of the Down Huddersfield which serves platform 1. This is looking East towards Ravensthorpe.

Moving on, I caught another Northern service to Dewsbury before walking back to Ravensthorpe.

Dewsbury is having platforms extended to cope with 6-car trains. Here’s progress on the Eastern (Leeds) end of platform 1.
The overbridge on George St has been replaced by a new concrete structure. The original (life-expired) structure dated from the opening of the line in 1847, so it had a good innings! Note the detailing on the concrete undersill in an attempt blend in with the original stonework.
Early embankment work on the River Calder seen through one of the arches of the double-span Butler bridge. A new river crossing will be constructed at this point with the original 1847 railway alignment and bridges being abandoned. The footpath along this stretch of the Calder is blocked off at this point. This is as far as you can go.

Walking back along the Calder to pass under the Spen valley greenway I walked down the (still open) footpath along the Calder and Hebble navigation to this point where the new railway bridges are beginning to take shape. A Northern service from Bradford to Leeds crosses the 1847 bridge in the background.
Another view of the new bridge. The different spans are because the Fast and Slow lines will converge near here. The (double track) Fasts are in the centre whilst the Up and Down Slows join on either side.

Walking on along a very muddy towpath I moved on to Ravensthorpe. Here’s the view of the station from the soon to be replaced Calder Rd bridge.

It’s difficult to appreciate how this scene will look in the future – or how it looked in the past. Here’s an artist’s impression curtesy of TRU. Everything here will disappear under a flyover and dive-under! The station will move behind the camera, to the other side of the bridge.
The current view from the station platform as workers pour concrete to build one of the retaining walls for the flyover and the line to/from Healy Mills (seen in the background) which will be diverted to pass underneath.
A TPE service from York via Healy Mills speeds past workers levelling a fresh pour of concrete.
Retaining walls for the new flyover are beginning to rise.
The existing main line towards Dewsbury curves away in the distance whilst cranes are at work constructing the bridges for the new line. This section of track will be abandoned once the new lines open. To the left of the picture is the site of the old goods yard and coal-fired power station which provided a lot of rail traffic in the past.
Here’s a 1937 map (published in 1942) showing the mass of freight lines and sidings that existed in the area. Ravensthorpe station is bottom left.
The very first of the Class 150s, 150001 arrived to take me back to Dewsbury for my connecting train to Halifax. The station will close from the start of the new timetable on Sunday 14 December 2025, so if you want to visit – be quick!

I’ll be adding another TRU update shortly. I’ll also be visiting Ravensthorpe again before it finally closes.

NOTE: All photographs in this blog are my copyright.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

Cheers!

Reservoir (and more) blogs. Part 7…

22 Monday Sep 2025

Posted by in Climate Change, Photography, Railways, Reservoir blogs, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, West Yorkshire

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After Sodden Saturday we had Sunny Sunday, a day which encouraged the pair of us to get out and make the most of things. As we’d heard about all the rain Yorkshire had seen whilst we were away in Portugal we thought we’d check out how things stand with some of the local reservoirs. However, there was something else I was keen to have a look at seeing as we were out in the car – and that was progress on rebuilding Huddersfield station. Dawn kindly detoured so we could take a look. Here’s some of what we saw.

The view inside the trainshed seen from the nearby road bridge (which offers a grandstand view). To the right is the newly extending bay platform used by terminating services from Sheffield. The old Platform 1 have been extended outwards, taking over the course of the old track, which has been re-laid closer to the old platform 3. Originally there were four tracks running through this part of the station, but the centre two roads were removed in the 1980s.
What a change! This was the site of platform 8 and the stabling sidings. The smaller station roof has been removed and all tracks lifted. Eventually, a new island platform will be built here.
The area in the centre of the picture was the site of the two short bay platforms. They’ve disappeared completely. The only remains are the wooden platform end fence to the right of the yellow crane. The Eastward extensions of the through platforms, which have been built over the replacement William St bridge.
A general view of the North side of the station and old island platform. The roof’s gone, as has the signalbox. Only the lift shaft and an equipment room remain.

Having checked out TRU progress we headed out to the M62 for a short trip to Junction 22 where we passed the Booth wood reservoir. We’d visited it back in August when it was looking perilously low. To be honest, there seemed little difference in the levels, as this picture shows.

From Booth wood it was a short drive to Baitings, where we got a surprise as levels have increased by around 3 meters.

Looking towards the dam from the new road bridge. Just a few days ago an earlier dam could be seen in the foreground. It disappeared again virtually overnight thanks to the recent rains.
The old bridge has water under it once more as the Ryburn has started bringing water down from the moors.
A torrent of water is entering the reservoir from Horse Hay Clough which runs off the moors to the North of the res’.

Does this mean an end to the drought? I doubt it. No more rain’s forecast, and there’s still a lot of ground (or should that be water) to make 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/

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


31st August picture of the day…

31 Sunday Aug 2025

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Finally, after what’s been an incredibly dry spell, we’ve had rain this weekend. It’s nowhere near enough to fill the reservoirs (that will take months), but the showers have been heavy enough to make a difference to gardens and soak the ground enough so that the water doesn’t just run off the baked earth.

Admittedly, these downpours have made photography more challenging. I’d half-hoped to nip out yesterday to get shots of the first day of Huddersfield blockade diversions, but the weather was so gloomy and wet I gave up on the idea. Today was meant to be better. Plus, there were several engineers trains booked to run via the Calder valley from work around Mossley in the Colne valley. Dawn wasn’t feeling 100% so decided to concentrate on packing for Portugal, which gave me the time to nip out on my own and head the Hebden Bridge in the hope of getting some decent shots. Of course, the weather had other ideas. Shooting engineers trains is a hit and miss affair. The chances of them running to time are minimal, so you really are in the lap of the Gods – and today they were laughing at me! Each time one of the services I was waiting to photograph was due the heavens opened. Today’s picture tells the tale…

5 minutes before 66541 arrived the sun was shining and conditions were perfect. Then we had a cloudburst which sent me scurrying for the shelter of the station canopy. This was the result, the loco steams in the rain as it heads from Mossley to Doncaster with a train full of spent ballast from track renewals.

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

TRU: Huddersfield hiatus…

29 Friday Aug 2025

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Today’s the final day where Huddersfield station retains its current shape. Lines – and the station – close tonight until September 29th. When the station reopens its transformation will be well underway. So, I’m out and about looking at the way the forthcoming blockade is changing stations in the area – as it’s not just Huddersfield.

A general view of the West end of the station. Whilst the main trainshed roof will remain the smaller one to the left will disappear, along with the island platform as this side of the station will be extensively remodelled to accommodate an extra island platform, creating four through platforms.
The old stabling sidings at Huddersfield have disappeared. Now, part of the former goods yard is a storage site for hardcore.
Giant cranes dominate the station, ready to lift in new bridge segments.
Platform 1 has been stripped bare of shelters and kiosks. The scaffolding that shrouded the roof has also disappeared.
The former Huddersfield signalbox. Located on the island platform, it will disappear in order to make way for the new wing of the station.
The station subway, always a cold place – even in the height of summer. The new platforms will be accessible from a footbridge with lifts.
Looking through the station from the by the bufferstops on the bay platforms. The old wooden station building that occupied the site where the seats are on the right has been carefully dismantled and will be re-erected on the new platform in the future.
A last look at the East (Leeds) end of the station. The bufferstops of the two bay platforms are visible to the right. One can only fit a a single 2 car and the other a 3 car so are inadequate for the modern railway. They’ll be replaced by two full length through platforms.
Brighouse is about to become the railhead for Huddersfield. This has involved extending the station car-park and providing shelter for passengers waiting for buses onwards.
In recent years Brighouse has had its platforms lengthened as part of the TRU upgrade. The place has recently had a spring-clean, which has added to the excellent work done by the local station friends group.
There’s worse places to wait for a train than Brighouse. The friends group keep the place looking attractive and whilst there’s not many amenities on the station there’s a real ale pub and cafe right outside.
This is Deighton station. It closes tonight. It won’t reopen for two years – when the line here has been four tracked. Here’s how the new station will look.
Picture copyright of TRU.
Here’s a scene which will vanish today. The bridge in the background will be replaced by a new structure.
A TPE Class 802 speeds West through Deighton. Four tracking is already underway at this point
The King’s Head pub on Huddersfield also closes tonight. Fancy a pint? All beers are half price today…

Over the weekend I’ll compose a picture-blog looking back over the life of Huddersfield station as I’ve seen it. Unfortunately I only have pictures from the 1990s onwards, which is a shame as I first passed through in the early 1970s, but the memory’s a bit hazy nowadays!

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

17th May picture of the day…

17 Saturday May 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, West Yorkshire

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Hmm, where have the past few days gone? Well, they’ve disappeared in a blaze of sunshine. Sunshine that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, even if other aspects of the week have been a bit mixed. The highpoint was Wednesday when I slipped the leash to get out and about across West Yorkshire, looking at various railway locations old and new – plus the Trans-Pennine route upgrade (TRU). I’ll be blogging more about TRU when I’ve finished editing the pictures.

Thursday saw me back at Bigland Towers, sorting through more old stuff, deciding which will stay and which will go. It’s a process triggered by the fact I’m moving out of my office here in Bigland Towers so that Dawn can take it over. Working from home has become a permanent feature for her, so she needs the space more than me. Plus, that way we get a living room back as a living room. Who knew when working at home became a function of the Covid pandemic that it would become the norm for many people?

Friday saw me heading into Halifax in order to get my knees x-rayed. I’ve been having problems with them recently. An appointment at our local GPs with a nurse led to a diagnosis of early signs of Arthritis, but the chap wanted to be sure, so arranged for me to have x-rays in order to confirm or deny his assessment. The staff at the health centre were excellent. Two young Asian women and a black woman radiographer looked after me (do you hear that, Reform voters? The very people you’d ‘send back’). The unit itself was less than a year old and a had a laugh with the nurse who helped me position myself for the radiographer as she kept giggling at the tanned strips on my feet which are due to wearing sandals so much. She apologised for being ‘unprofessional’ but to be honest, it broke the ice.

A few hours later I got the results via text. I don’t have arthritis and my knees are ‘normal’. So why do they hurt so often? Looks like there’s more to find out…

Today the pair of us have been out and about shopping for plants and DIY bits, not exactly the rock and roll lifestyle but hey – we’d originally planned to go walking but Dawn’s mum had a last minute hospital appointment for some tests so we decided to stay nearer to home just in case we were needed. Fortunately, we weren’t so the two of us managed an hour in the sunshine in the beer garden of our local pub before returning home to a quiet evening in.

The plan now is for an early start in the morning in order to head over the border into Greater Manchester and climb some hills, making the most of the sunshine whilst it lasts. Expect a few pictures at some point.

Meanwhile, here’s today’s picture which is from Wednesday’s excursion. Mirfield station continues to be rebuilt as part of the TRU work. The latest chapter has included opening part of the rebuilt island platform after one of the tracks has been slewed. It’s created the opportunity to get shots of trains passing like this.

185105 working 1P66, the 0858 Redcar Central to Manchester Airport passes Grand Central’s 180105 which is heading South on 1A63, the 1023 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/

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

5th March picture(s) of the day…

05 Wednesday Mar 2025

Posted by in Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Another short blog from me tonight as I’ve been out all day and only got home late. The pair of us were up early as we had a dentist’s appointment at 08:30 over in Huddersfield – one of our regular 6 month check-ups and visit to the hygienist for a wash and brush up. I’m not someone who’s afraid of dentists and rather enjoy coming away afterwards feeling the new definition in my teeth after having the hygienist gave ’em the once over – not that there was much to remove.

As we were in that neck of the woods and the weather was ideal for photography I decided to have a day out exploring Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) territory. I’ll explain more at greater length tomorrow, but for now here’s a couple of pictures.

A TRU engineers train passes Bradley Junction with the single line spur towards Brighouse heading off to the left. This section will be four-tracked with the new fast lines being laid on the old trackbed to the right.
A TPE service takes the Huddersfield route at Heaton Lodge Junction. The line to Brighouse is in the background. The new 100mph fast lines will be laid to the right of the train. The new bridge pier is for the road down to the waterworks between the two railways which will replace the one I’m standing on..

I’ll be back working from home tomorrow, so expect more pictures and a vastly expanded blog then.

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

27th September picture of the day…

27 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Today would’ve justified a rolling blog but it wasn’t to be as I was moving around too much and at short notice. I’d intended staying at home but the weather picked up and Dawn had an appointment over in Marsden, so I thought ‘why not’? and hitched a lift over to the Colne valley where I could catch a train Eastwards to have a look at progress on the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) around Deighton. There’s some major civil engineering going on here to allow four-tracking to be reinstated and the station to be relocated.

However, it’s not a place with a great reputation. A legal friend of mine has always been grateful to the area as it’s provided him with plenty of work. To put it another way, it’s (allegedly) so rough even the XL bully’s walk round in twos! But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get the shot below.

Here’s the view from a local (renewed) footbridge to the West of Deighton looking back to the station. The embankment around the station’s gradually being stripped back to make room for the relocated platforms which will be on the Slow lines, whilst the first part of the new alignments been laid – even though the short length of track’s completely isolated from the current running lines.

To give a bit of perspective, here’s a shot without the zoom.

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