‘Tis been another quiet day here at Bigland Towers. The weather in the Calder valley’s been wet and miserable these past few days although we’ve been lucky (for once) to escape the flooding that’s affected other parts of the UK, including areas that I was in just a few days ago – like Chesterfield. It’s no laughing matter for those affected and flooded out of their homes or businesses. We know – we’ve experienced it here.
That said, I couldn’t help but laugh at the insanity of comments from our Environment Minister, Thérèse Coffey, who’s managed to outdo the classic railway PR blunder about ‘the wrong kind of snow’. Apparently, the flooding that’s been experienced is due to the rain coming from the ‘wrong’ direction. I shit you not! Here she is being quoted in the Guardian newspaper. Christ on a bike – how do these talentless people end up in Government – and stay there, rotating between one useless job to another? If you voted for these people – hang your head in shame (and do the right thing next time).
Away from the weather I’ve been busy researching and writing my next article for RAIL magazine, which will look at a route across Northern England which is a shadow of its former self but what’s left is very much worth visiting. I’ve also been planning the next few days which will see me out and about, looking at the present and future of the UK railways rather than reflecting on the past. Oh, and somewhere in all that I’ve a birthday to celebrate as I’m about to be a Beatles song. I’ll leave you to guess which one.
Right, time to go, which means leaving you with a picture. What to choose? Umm – how about this one? Fed up of rain and grey skies? OK, here’s a toast-rack tram crossing the old Carioca Aqueduct in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil at sunset on the 7th August 2002.
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 was up with the lark to prepare myself for another day out looking at aspects of the UK’s railways. Yesterday it was training, today it’s innovation. I’m off to have a look at a conversion of a member of a class of locomotive that’s UKs oldest design still in regular service, the venerable Class 08 diesel shunter.
1057 of the 350hp Class 08s were built between 1952 and 1962. Based on an earlier design by the LMS railway they became to standard UK shunting engine, despite their single cab and limited visibility. They’re still in service today although in vastly reduced numbers. This is 08683, seen at Eastleigh on the 29th September this year.
I’ll write about this in detail later. Right now I’ve got to make my way to Chesterfield. I’ll blog throughout the day so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to.
08:20.
Well, there’s been some spectacular skies this morning thanks to low sun and broken cloud reflecting the light, but after that things started falling apart. My first train of the day is a Grand Central service from Halifax to Wakefield Kirkgate where I have a four minute cross platform connection with a train to Sheffield. There’s just one problem. GC left Bradford 3 minutes late and left Halifax 5 minutes late – and we haven’t stopped at Brighouse or Mirfield yet! Now, in theory – we may be able to pull a minute or so back as timings on this section are pedestrian at best, but I’m not optimistic…
A rather battered 180114 arrives at Halifax from Bradford.
We’ve just left Mirfield and made up no time at all. Will I make my connection at Wakefield, well, we have a clear run, so we just might do it, but it’ll be tight!
08:48.
A check of Real Time Trains tells me that nowadays this service stands at Horbury Junction for nearly 10 mins due to pathing. It always used to do this in Wakefield itself. So, now I should make my connection as we’re passing Horbury now.
09:25.
Well, that was a classic bit of piss-poor train regulation! Having passed Horbury Jn my CG service was signal-checked twice before being allowed into Kirkgate. We sat, just outside the station to allow my connection (the service to Lincoln, which left EARLY) to speed past us in the opposite direction!
Thankfully, running just a few minutes behind is a local stopping service to Sheffield which will allow me to make my connection but reduce my time between trains. Mind you, looking at the weather that may be no bad thing. It’s grim out there!
10:05.
Not a vintage day on the railway. My 2 car train burbled its way as far as Meadowhall where it got stuck for some unknowable reason, arriving at Sheffield 5 mins late, giving me just 5 mins to make my connection with an East Midlands Railway service to London via Chesterfield. Only – that’s late too! Thank God I have a few minutes in the bank. And now for the scrum…
10:10.
We’re off. This 5 car Meridan is 25 mins late coming up from London, which hasn’t helped. Add in the usual confusion as folks try and find their reserved seats or ones that are free and the delays mount.
Still, my worries are over. I’ll make the connecting bus that’s being laid on to take us from Chesterfield to Barrow Hill so that’s all that matters. After this any delays don’t matter as I’m not against the clock.
10:35.
Impressive! Stagecoach’s Matt Kitchen in co-operation with Volvo have supplied an electric bus to get us to Barrow Hill.
11:20.
There’s a good turnout here at Barrow Hill.
Here are some technical details of the loco we’ve come to look at…
– and here’s the beast itself!
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Today I’m travelling from Halifax to Swindon where I’ll be spending the night in a hotel ready for a commission tomorrow. In railway terms it’s known as a positional move.
Right now I’m on an LNER ‘Azuma’ from Leeds to London, having travelled to Yorkshire’s most bustling city on a busy 3-car Northern service via Bradford.
800102 working the 10:45 from Leeds to Kings Cross.
11:20.
We’re currently at Doncaster, waiting for the road South. This train’s fairly quiet so I’ve bagged a table bay to myself in coach C as most people never venture towards the back of the train. There may be a storm on the way and tomorrow’s job (outdoors) may get ‘interesting’ but here in Yorkshire we’ve high cloud and hazy sunshine. I’m hoping to be able to garner some library shots on my way but as I’m loaded down with a suitcase with all my PPE I’m not going to be venturing far from stations en-route.
Right now there’s time to settle down and do some work – as well as catch up with the latest copy of RAIL magazine which includes my article on HS2 and the bridge over the route near Aylesbury.
12:20.
With the train having called at Peterborough (and stood to time as we were four minutes early) my coach has filled out a bit with a mixture of American tourists, students and what look like day-trippers, all heading for the capital. The weather’s continuing to improve the further I head South. We’ve clear blue skies and cottonwool clouds with long periods of sunshine. Long may that continue! Right now we’re speeding across the Cambridgeshire flatlands ahead of time yet again.
There’s an interesting contrast in this coach. The party of middle-aged and younger Americans are sat chatting. I can’t see them as they’re sat behind me, but I can hear them. In the table bay opposite are three women students. There’s not a word being spoken. One’s sat there with headphones on, staring at her smartphone. Of the pair opposite her one’s on her phone whilst the other has it on the table in front of her as she gazes out of the window.
13:35.
My visit to the capital was brief. I didn’t hang around at Kings Cross because it’s a regular haunt so I immediately headed for the Underground
I decided to cut time short when I arrived at Paddington and saw how devoid of trains it was and how many services were shown as delayed. That was a shame as I rarely visit nowadays but there’s little to shoot in an empty station! In contrast trip across London on the underground was quick and easy. I only had a couple of minutes to wait at Kings Cross St Pancras before a Metropolitan line train arrived to whisk me away.
Comfortable but uncrowded conditions on the Met…
Right now i’m on the 13:31 hrading for Cheltenham Spa as it was the first available train I can use to get as far as Reading
17:25.
I’ve made it to Swindon via a few stopovers on the way, including one at Didcot where I came across evidence of another terminally stupid and short-sighted Tory transport decision. The line from Didcot to Oxford was being electrified when then Transport Minister Crhis (failing) Grayling cancelled the project. Contractors literally walked away from the sceme when it was half-completed, wasting £ms of pounds. Sound familiar? Yep, it’s the usual dither and delay we’ve come to expect from this rotton government. Here’s the legacy. Electric services from Paddington terminate here with a diesel shuttle to Oxford. Madness.
Right, it’s time for me to go to work and meet the good folks from the Permenant Way Institute who are here for their two day practical course which I’ll be shadowing.
22:00.
This blog’s no longer rolling! It’s time for me to call it a day and prepare for tomorrow as I’ve a busy day ahead. Breakfast kicks off at 06:30 before we head over to the training centre to don our PPE and for the students to get experience of what it’s like actually building and installing overhead electrification trackside. There’s a great bunch of participants from all areas of the rail industry so I’m really looking forward to the challenge of getting the pictures needed – despite the weather.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with on last picture from the day. This is how electrified Thames valley services look nowadays with the diesels displaced and sent to Bristol and beyond. Here’s a Paddington – Didcot service calling at Twyford earlier this 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/
You’ll have to forgive me, as I’m having a pensive and thoughtful day so this blog is going to be hard to write. After all, humanity’s world’s not exactly going well right now, is it? I sometimes wonder how much better the planet would be if we hadn’t crawled out of the primordial swamp, grown feet then opposing thumbs and ‘developed’ into homo-sapiens as we seem hell-bent on destroying both ourselves and the planet. For an animal with such a huge brain-pan we can be incredibly dumb.
Right now I’m looking around at what’s happening in the Ukraine and also Palestine and Israel and wondering ‘what the fcuk’? Our capacity for death and destruction seems to outweigh everything else – including the ability to reason. Seeing what’s happening in Israel and Palestine (and that’s before we get into a discussion about whose borders are whose) I’m left thinking of the saying that ‘an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind’. I abhor the violence from both sides, but I’m also old enough to have followed the conflicts in that part of the world since the 1970s and know the answer is anything but black and white – just seemingly intractable.
I’m beginning to feel that the world is becoming a very unstable place for a whole host of reasons – which includes social media and the power of a small bunch of billionaires -and utterly useless, sell-out politicians. Now, I’m not a paranoid, conspiracy-loving person but I’ve always subscribed to the adage ‘follow the money’ – and the money is concentrated in fewer and fewer people’s hands – and philanthropists they ain’t.
Humanity at its best is capable of incredible things. Music, medicine, science and architecture, humour and compassion being just a few. So why’s so much of our time taken up with shit? Maybe I’ve reached that age where I look at what time I have left (whatever that is) and think it’s time explore what’s left of this beautiful planet before we completely screw it up and I can still enjoy it. Yep, I’m in one of those retrospective moods tonight. Anyway – my blog – my rules!
I’ll leave you with a picture that’s less dark than my thoughts. This is what I could do with right now. A palm-fringed beach, sunsets and solitude. Here’s a spectacular sunset at Viti Levu, Fiji, on the 7th March 1999 when the world seemed a very different place. This is the simple, natural beauty of a planet we seem hell-bent on rendering inhospitable, to ourselves and every other creature on it. But hey – it’s so important that I have that SUV to drive down to Waitrose…
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 a day full of sunshine and the promise of decent photographic weather. I’ve a dinner date with my in-laws this evening near Huddersfield so I’m going to take the long way there, taking the camera with me to have a look at progress on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade to see if there’s anything worth getting shots of. I’ll blog through the day, so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to…
12:00.
I’ve made it as far as Dewsbury having arrived here from Sowerby Bridge. Trains are packed today. My three-car was full and standing from Sowerby and rammed after Mirfield. The good weather’s bringing everyone out – including the rail-alers doing the railway pub-crawl. This isn’t the best day for exploring as the Trans-Pennine route West of Huddersfield is closed so services are much reduced. Even ao, there’s a few pictures to be had and sites to note.
My train departs from Dewsbury.
15:15.
Sorry for the gap but I’ve been busy shuttling between Dewsbury and Brighouse whilst enjoying the gorgeous sunshine – and dodging torrential showers! I’d intened to get a few lineside shots but the combination of low sun and rain made that foohardy, which is a shame – but hey ho. Instead I took the opportunity to enjoy Brighouse station joining the TPE network. Right now I’m on my way to Huddersfield, having stopped the latest weather bullet in the shape of this storm that’s just passed over Dewsbury. I didn’t make it to the cover of the canopy before the heavens opened.
Here’s 802213 working 9M32, the 1244 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street.
At Brighouse – which joined the TPE network for the day – I captured 802209 stopping at the station whilst working 1P25, the 1154 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.
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/
Up at sparrow-fart once more. It’s a busy morning here at Bigland Towers. I’m preparing to head out for the day and Dawn is busy with her HIT (High Intensity Training) workout in the living room. The weather’s hardly conducive to early starts. It’s dark and cold outside now that temperatures have returned to their seasonal averages rather then the bizarre ones we’ve had recently. According to the thermometer it’s just 3 degrees.
I’ll be walking down to Sowerby Bridge station shortly to catch my first train of the day to Manchester. I’m planning another foray out to Glossop and area. I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so let’s see what happens…
07:35.
Walking downhill to the station was fun this morning. Looking across the valley from the bedroom window it looked everywhereas covered in fog. Once I’d left the house and descended ahundred meters or so the valley was clear. Then, when I looked behind me I realise our cottage was up in cloud level!
I’m now on the late- running 07:22 to Manchester which is a busy four-car set.
07:50.
We’ve now left Todmorden and this train’s getting very busy. As we traversed the Calder valley I realised Sowerby Bridge is lucky as everywhere else IS covered in fog! Today’s the first day of autumn where I’ve observed commuters wearing hats and gloves. Shorts are confined to the back of the cupboard for now. Judging by the number of people clutching hot drinks the local coffee shops will be happy with the change in the weather!
07:55.
We’ve passed through the Summit tunnel into Lancashire and – as is often the case – there’s very different weather on the other side. Rochdale has no fog at all. Instead it’s bathed in winter sunshine!
08:38.
Here’s how busy my train was as it approached Manchester Victoria – and what it was like trying to get through the gateline.
Right now I’m on the train out to Glossop which is much more relaxed as we’re going againt the flow. There’s just a handful of us in the front car. Several of those are young women all using their phones as mirrors as they apply their make-up!
09:25.
The light’s lovely this morning so I stopped off in the middle of nowhere to get a few pictures. Let’s have a guessing game with the station name. It carries the same name a former member of the band “10cc”.
Not a rubber bullet in sight…
10:20.
I’m having a quick break here in Glossop whilst I have a coffee in the lovely little Twig coffee house on the station – and respond to a couple of work emails to sort out next week’s jobs.
The old ticket office (the window is to the right).
Here’s one of my camera pictures showing the old 1,500 dc electrification structures that still predominate along the line, although this section’s had the contact wires simplified.
15:15.
That was a busy few hours! I’ve been exploring the area around Broadbottom station in order to get a few scenic shots in open country as well as check out the remains of the old fan of sidings that was Mottram yard. They were already abandoned when I was a kid, having closed in about 1970 but the arrival sidings remained open for loco changes from electric to diesel. Now the whole site’s woodland. Only a few clues as to their former use remain.
The yard was to the left. The remains of the short platforms for Mottram staff halt can be seen on the remaining lines. The view’s looking towards Manchester.
15:30.
Time for a refreshment break and a beer I’ve never tried before. The glass tells the tale…
18:35.
Home time. Well, heading back across the Pennines at least. I’ve manged to get most of the pictures I was after before the sun disappeared. Plus I’ve had an interesting time exploring and discovering new places. I’ll add a few pics from the camera later. Right now, it’s standing room only on the 18:21 From Manchester Victoria. So much for “but no-one’s travelling by train anymore”.
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/
After a few days at home blogging about our lying Prime Minister and the deceit that’s “Network North” I’m having an interlude. Don’t worry, there’ll be another blog on Sunak and his sorry sorry saga of deception and incompetence this evening!
After an appointment in Sowerby Bridge that prevented me leaving earlier I’m now on a train to Manchester as the weather’s really too good to miss and I still have a long list of pictures I need to work my way through for a client. Feel free to pop back and see what I get up to as I’m not entirely sure what that’ll be myself!
Back to short trains and no stabiliser rail…
14:35.
After a relaxing (and sunny) journey to Manchester I added to my daily step total by walking between Victoria and Piccadilly stations through a busy city centre. En-route a plan had formed in my mind, so I’m now on the 14:33 to Glossop. I’m going to be looking at a couple of potential picture locations en-route – and a stop at one of the most misnamed stations in England…
“No mate, this isn’t the train to Stoke!”
15:45.
Maybe I should retitle this blog as the sunshine interlude didn’t last long at all this side of the Pennines!
My visit to Glossop lasted all of 30 mins. Just long enough to recconoitre a few photo sites as the light changed which was rather frustrating. Still, it means I have ideas worked out for the future. Plus, I did update my images of the gorgeous station at Glossop which still boasts a ticket office, barrier staff and a great little cafe.
Glossop station. The former ticket office to the right is now a lovely little cafe. There’s still an office here but it’s moved closer to the gateline.
15:55.
Having had a spin to Hadfield on the Glossop shuttle I’m about to head back towards Manchester.
The end of the line at Hadfield. The last stop on what was then the famous Woodhead freight only route to Penistone which closed in 1981.
16:55.
The beauty of this job is that you get to explore. Some places are better than others but they all add to your knowledge and experience. Here’s a station that only opened in 1985 but those naming it obviously had a sense of humour and tongues firmly in cheek. Meet ‘Flowery Field’…
Seriously?
Apparently, the name is due to its proximity to one of Manchester’s biggest parks. You’d be forgiven for not knowing that as you pass through! I got off to explore at it’s only a few minutes walk from another station on a different line – Hyde North.
This area of Manchester is pretty run down but there was a ray of hope as I cut through a nearby cul-de-sac although it took a minute to sink in. I passed several children playing in the street, drawing on the pavement with coloured chalk – just as my generation did half a century and more ago. They were outdoors interacting with their peers, not stuck indoors in their rooms ‘virtually’ interacting with people miles (or even continents) away.
Hyde North stations and it’s environs lived down to expectations and made me realise why I’d never bothered stopping. It has no architectural merit apart from the old footbridge. There’s a couple of basic shelters of modern design but that’s it. Admittedly, the local friends group have tried to brighten the place up with some art (and good for them) but I fear they’re trying to push water uphill! The area surrounding the station’s a mix of residential and commercial with little appeal. This is as good as it got.
19:30.
My return home way delayed by ‘shit happens’. I decided to have a quick pint in the city centre and ended up helping a woman who limped into the pub after twisting an ankle. She was both embarrassed and tearful so I ended up staying with her and helping her limp to a taxi before the cavalry arrived in the shape of some of her former pupils (she’s a Teacher) in town on a night out. Good deed done for the day I arrived at Victoria to find the new pub on the station was open for business and buzzing.
I’d passed the Victoria Tap earlier but fitting out work was still going on – even though pumpclips were advertising what draught beers were ready. I asked the young lady who served me how long they’d been open. Her reply was “about 3 hours!”
The tap’s only small. It’s a narrow two room establishment at the end of the station but it has a beer garden out back which is by the tram tracks and underneath the station roof. The range of beers is good and the prices are very competitive. A pint of ‘Farmers Blonde’ cost me £4.20.
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/
After a week gallivanting around the South-East today couldn’t have been more different. Partly because after getting up at 06:30 every day the pair of us had a lie-in until nearly 11:00! Hey, it’s Sunday and time to recharge the batteries. The fact we’ve both gone down with minor colds and aches was another good reason to relax – at least until tomorrow. So, no trains for me today. In fact, no travel at all unless you count a leisurely stroll into Sowerby Bridge and back in order to pick up some shopping and ensure that I get my steps in for the day. Apart from that, I’ve spent the rest of Sunday glued to my computer in order to finish the first sift of this weeks pictures and begin editing the ones that pass muster. Which is a lot!
Whilst doing this I’ve been trying to resist looking at commentary about the Tory party conference in nearby Manchester. OK, I have taken the occasional peek but managed to avoid the temptation to vent my spleen – difficult as it is when you’re watching a party who’ve been in power for 13 years trying to pretend the utter shitshow we’ve suffered is nothing to do with them and what we actually need is to elect them again so they can make everything *even* better! Their levels of delusion are off the scale and I have to wonder if even they believe the bullshit they’re coming out with. Of course, their cheerleaders in certain sections of our famously ‘independent’ media (are you having a laugh! Ed) are doing their damndest to keep the gravy train rolling and cheerlead. Oh, did I mention trains? One thing you won’t get a straight answer out of any of them is over the HS2 railway. Apparently, having set the hare running over the future of HS2 to Manchester, Sunak and Co won’t comment on ‘speculation’. The very speculation they’ve started and could kill in an instant if they were honest and gave a straight answer. But they’re not – and they won’t. After all, when you’re having your conference in Manchester and spent years talking bollox about ‘levelling up’ the country are you really going to admit you’ve just cancelled/postponed the high-speed line to the city?
I can’t see the Tories having a great conference. It seems from reports (and the pictures I’ve seen) that attendance figures are derisory. Everyone knows they’re a dead man walking so why bother going unless you’re one of the deluded batshit faithful? I’ll bet the Labour conference shortly after will be a very different affair as people can see which way the electoral winds are blowing. I’d love to be enthused about Labour and the vision of them taking power and putting to rights the mess the Tories have made of the UK since they morphed into UKIP, but I’m struggling. Honesty is in short supply in UK politics. Of course, that’s not just the fault of the political classes, it’s also the media and voters as many of the latter seem happy to be lied to if what they’re told fits their prejudices. How things will pan out only time will tell, but it all increases my feelings of disconnection from the UK. As I get older the more I suspect that the UK is becoming an economic and political basket-case that’s utterly incapable of shrugging off the past and embracing a future where the world’s changing and flag-waving just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Anyways, on another front it’s going to be a very busy week as I’ve articles to write, pictures to edit and spleens to vent – and an awful lot more besides as I’ve another role to slip in to but more of that soon…
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which is from last week’s Southern haul. People from outside of London always think of the London Underground as the ‘tube’, those narrow trains that runs on certain deep level lines across the capital. Here’s a very different ‘underground’. This is a Metropolitan line train at Chalfont and Latimer out in suburban North-West London. The stations and tracks are shared with the old Great Central railway as far as Amersham. This is Sir John Betjeman’s ‘metroland‘.
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/
Our time in Surrey has come to an end. Now we’re busy packing as we’ll be driving back to West Yorkshire later today. That may be ‘fun’ due to extra traffic on the roads as today sees another strike in the long-running labour dispute on the railways – which the government are doing nothing to resolve as they see it playing into their hands politically.
Plus, whilst the weather’s still lovely ‘darn sarf’ friends back home have told us to expect to return to heavy rain. Ho hum. Well, at least I won’t have to water the garden when I get in! As we’re in no rush we’ll be nipping out for coffee and cake with a neighbour for we leave. The local pub has sublet an outhouse in their beer-garden which has become a food hub. There’s now a coffe shop cafe occupying the place whilst the outside of the buildi g is home to a pizza oven run as a seperate business.
13:45.
Suitably fortified with coffee and cake we’ve made it out of Surrey, round the M25 (busy but mostly free flowing) and onto the M1.
15:30.
After our traditional pitstop at Watford Gap services we’re now whizzing up the M1 in Leicestershire. The further we get from London the more the traffic thins – although lane discipline hasn’t improved. So many folk seem to have no idea how you drive on a motorway.Thy stick in the middle lane as if their car’s on rails! This leads to lots of damgerous weaving and undertaking as others try to get past them.
16:06.
Our luck – and the weather – held as far as Junction 28 (Matlock). Now we’re driving along in clouds of spray but traffic is flowing and the M1 remains quiet.
16:40.
Good job it’s a Saturday and there aren’t many of these on the road kicking up spray.
21:30.
We’re home safe and sound, unpacked and settled in for the night on what’s a wet end to the day and real contrast to where we’ve just come from. I’ve begun the marathon task of doing the first sift of the 1000s of pictures I’ve taken over the past week whilst Dawn’s relaxing and winding down after her long drive by watching some TV. Looking at the weather here back in West Yorkshire it seems we accidentally chose an ideal time to go away!
Still, tomorrow’s another month – and who knows where that will lead…
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/
After rain overnight the Surrey skies are threatening to play ball and come up with some sunshine for my final day in 3rd rail land. That would be ideal as I’ve a full day planned but one that’s reliant on clear skies for scenic shots.
Here’s a teaser for you. One of the stations I’m going to visit has what’s believed to be the only one left in the UK with its own water well. Can you guess where it is? I’ll give you the answer later.
Right now I’m on an earlier train than usual as the ongoing industrial dispute has knocked my normal Farnham – Guildford service out of the timetable. So, no pictures of loadings on the 08:58 to Waterloo I’m afraid. Instead i’m on the 08:35 from Farnham formed of a 4-car Class 450. As you can see, there’s plenty of spare seats.
10:30.
The Weather’s living up to the forecast and the skies are clearing. I’ve just left Guildford after an hour there taking pictures of services through the area (pics later). There’s a very handy footbridge spanning the junctions to the North of the station that’s an ideal vantage point. It’s also a great place for people watching too as it now leads to the huge University of Surrey campus. Watching the constant stream of students made me realise just how many of our academic institutions are reliant on overseas applicants. I remember seeing all the adverts for UK universities when I was staying in Malaysia earlier this year. And yet, the government seems intent on creating a less than welcoming atmosphere for people with their rhetoric and actions.
After a quich change from a packed Waterloo bound service at Woking I’m now on a more relaxed 5 car Class 444 heading for Portsmouth the long way round via Eastleigh and Fareham. The Conductor has announced we won’t be stopping at Fleet today due to the emergency services dealing with ‘an incident’ – which sounds ominous. Hopefully it’s not a fatality.
On this part of the trip I’m using the excellent line guide published by Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership. It’s packed full of useful information on the towns en-route and includes both local and railway history, places and sights to see and pubs and cafe’s to visit.
I love guides like this as you learn so much about the areas you pass through. OK, admittedly some of it is whimsical and of little use other than for setting quiz questions. For example. The Bridge Inn, the pub you see from the train at Shawford? It was the location of the demise of Victor Meldrew in the final episode of “one foot in the grave”!
12:30.
I’m now heading for Southampton after a flying visit to Romsey which is an interesting little place. I’d liked to have explored the town but I’m on a tight schedule. The imposing station building oerched atop an embankment is only part-used although the ground floor still boasts a ticket off and waiting room. There’s a tiny cafe with seats on the platform which is run by Marco who’s now expanded to Shawford. There’s also an 1870s signalbox just a few minutes walk away which has been restored to working order and opens to the public.
12:55.
Now I’m hoping the pace will slow a little as I wait for trains and the sun to coincide at St Denys. Not actually at the station tho’ but by the river (where the tide’s in), as you’ll see shortly..
Here’s me, hard at work…
There’s a large element of chance involved here. Will the sun stay out? Will a train in the current livery arrive at the right time? It’s all beyond my control. All I can do is be patient…
15:25.
I managed to get the shots I wanted so decided to be optimist and go for a second bite of the cherry further down the line at Bursledon where the railway crosses another of the three rivers. At this point the river’s cammed with yachts and motorboats. It’s like being on the set of ‘Howards Way” (a 1970s yachty soap opera) but it makes a great scenic location for what I was after.
Now I’m on the move again, hoping to fit in one last scenic location if time, trains and weather allow…
18:45.
Things didn’t quite go to plan for a variety of reasons. The railway timetable began to fall apart as I headed East so I decided not to sally forth into the countryside. After all, I’d planned an hour long walk to get what would have been at best two pictures. Instead, I changed trains at Fratton and caught a late running Waterloo service that had most of its stops cut to get to Havant where I picked up another train to Haslemere. By then all the schools had chucked out so the trains were awash with teenagers. Some were very well behaved, others entitled arses. I’ve noticed that people putting their feet on seats is endemic down here, no matter what your social status.
After getting a few last shots of a working mechanical lever-framed signalbox (although you wouldn’t know it from the outside) I caught another late-running train back to Guildford. I’m here enjoying a quick pint whilst watching the world go by. I really like Guildford, apart from one thing. The traffic.
Getting from the station into the town centre involves negotiating multiple layers of sub-ring road full of cars where 90% have a single occupant.
As it’s a Friday it’s not just cars occupying Guildford, there’s a mass influx of people (mostly young) starting their weekend revelries. Events are fascinating to watch if you’re interested in observing the human condition. But, at the same time they’re rather depressing. There’s an element of ‘the last days of Pompeii’ about it.
19:30.
Time to go home. I’ve swum against the tide to get to the station and board the 19:23 to Farnham. I don’t envy rail staff working today as things are already getting messy – including this train – which is littered with fast food wrappers and other detritus. Standards certainly seem to have slipped in the South in the 13 years since I moved North. Many of our trains aren’t this bad!
It looks OK. What you can’t see is all the crap left on the seats or have your nostrils assaulted by the permeating smell of fried fast food…
21:00.
I’m now back at ‘home’ in Tilford, downloading today’s pictures so here’s a few images from my camera rather then just phone pictures.
GWR Class 158s 158958 and 158765 work 1F13, the 1205 Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour as it crosses the River Itchen after leaving St Denys. A few miles further East at Bursledon, 450066 crosses the river Hamble whilst working 2E40, the 1338 Portsmouth & Southsea to Southampton Central.
Oh, before I go I promised to tell you which station still has a well. I didn’t manage to get there today, so a return trip is on the cards, but the answer is…Rowlands Castle.
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/
