Apologies for absence yesterday but I’ve been too busy earning a living and scribbling professionally as well as editing pictures to find the time to blog. Plus, there’s been nothing exciting going on at Bigland Towers worth relating. The month of March began in glorious fashion weather-wise but that was for one day only. Since then we’ve resumed the wet and misty conditions that dominated most of last month. I’ve still torn myself away from the computer to get my daily exercise but the amount’s the bare minimum this week.
That said, there’s a change on the horizon. After tomorrow I’ll be free to get out more and next week is looking very interesting indeed. On Monday-Tuesday I’m in Nottingham at the annual Community Rail Network conference. This is the first time it’s been held away from the internet since March 2020. We just managed to get away with that as a live event before Covid put the mockers on, so everybody’s really looking forward to being able to catch-up with each other in the flesh once more. I’d had the conference booked for some weeks. When I’d arranged it Dawn said to me “I’ve a funny feeling you’ll get some paid jobs come in at the same time”. Sure enough, her intuition was spot on. I’m now double (nay, triple) booked as I’ve now got a really exciting event to attend in London late Monday afternoon where I’ll be wearing two hats as well as my own, but it’s embargoed, so I can’t tell you what it is – for now. To add to the fun I was invited to another press event in the capital on Tuesday but I can’t juggle any more balls to fit that one in too. It’s times like this I really wish I could clone myself!
With all this going on I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home before the next round of railway ping-pong starts. Thankfully, I’ve had just enough time in between to put the last lot to bed and start with a clean sheet. That said, scanning old slides is hanging around there in the background. I’m hoping to be able to restart that soon but whilst the commissions are rolling in I’m happy to let it lie. They’ve waited this long so another few months isn’t going to hurt. Besides, there’s lots of what will soon to be history to report on whilst it’s still around…
Talking of history brings me on to the picture of the day. For this one I’ve dug into the archives. There aren’t many countries where you’ll find old British built railway engines in everyday service nowadays but Sri Lanka is one. Here’s one of the M7 Class diesel engines built by Brush, Loughborough and supplied to the country in 1981. Only 16 were built but they’re still plying their trade around the islands railways. This is No 809, seen at Colombo Fort station with a local passenger train on the 26th December 2003.
You can find many more pictures of Sri Lankan railways in this gallery, plus this more recent one from 2016.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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/
The fact we’ve slipped over from February to March didn’t go unnoticed today – mainly due to the gorgeous – almost Spring like – sunshine we were bathed in today, along with mild temperatures. Of course, today would happen to be a day when I spent most of it stuck indoors! Thanks to my recent travels and having rejigged my plans as short notice to accommodate last minute commissions I’m behind on scribbling some articles so enjoying the sunshine’s had to take a backseat.
That said, it’s ben a productive day and I’ve got a lot done so missing the chance to top up my vitamin D levels was a worthwhile sacrifice. Now, if only I can have another day like this tomorrow I might have the end of the week free – just in time for the next band of rain. Damn! Ah, well – maybe working from home for the rest of the week will have some compensations. I’ve certainly enough articles that need words bashing together and there’s always slides to scan…
Despite the forecast, there’s a real feeling that spring is just around the corner. Our garden is springing to life with a mixture of snowdrops and daffodils (plus the odd Hyacinth) and I was amazed to see how much blossom was appearing across the West Midlands the other day. Add in the fact the days are getting longer and there’s a lot to look forward to especially as Covid is slowly fading away. Mind you, that seems partly because some people are simply ignoring the risks to pretend it’s somehow vanished overnight. It’s been overtaken by the awful news from the Ukraine and the madness unleashed by Putin. Noe people are more worried about thoughts of war and nuclear arsenals than they are of microbes. Still, I’ll be wearing my mask in public places for a while longer yet…
Right, enough of such thoughts. What’s today’s picture? To be honest, even I had no idea what it would be when I started typing earlier. But I’ve plumped for this, taken yesterday. In yesterday’s blog I mentioned how passengers are returning to the railway. Quiet scenes like this at Leeds station are fast becoming a thing of the past as folk return to old habits such as socializing and going out. You won’t see it looking this relaxed at the weekend…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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/
Only I wish I wasn’t starting it this damned early! I’m already half way through my first cup of coffee as I prepare to head off to Chesterfield for the day. Still, it’s not all bad, when I opened the living room curtains this morning I could see that the garden and road outside are dry (which makes a pleasant change) so the walk to the station should be enjoyable and I don’t have to swathe myself in waterproofs. I’ll be blogging as and when throughout the day as it unfolds, so feel free to keep popping back to see what I get up to…
06:35.
My walk to the station was rather ghostly this morning as Halifax was deserted. I hardly saw another living soul until I arrived at the town centre. Even the dog-walkers seemed to be having a lie-in today. This changed on arrival at the station where a few dozen folk were waiting for simultaneous departures East and West. I boarded the 06:17 to Hull via Leeds worked by a 3-car Class 158 which had plenty of space available and didn’t fill up until we reached Bradford.
Where is everybody?
08:45.
My trip from Leeds to Chesterfield was uneventful. The Cross-Country Voyager I caught had plenty of spare seats so I had chance to do some work on the train. On a whim I decided to chane at Sheffield and catch the Northern service that was running behind us for the last leg. This turned out to be a 2-car Class 195 and it was rammed! Plenty of people disembarked at Sheffield but dozens joined it, making it rather cozy…
Right, i’m off to find a taxi – more later…
18:00.
Apologies for the long absence but it’s been a hectic day. The client had arranged for me to visit several of their construction projects. What I hadn’t realised was these were spread all over the Midlands! So I ended up spending the day being driven around to visit and photograph a diverse range of construction projects at Alfreton, Tipton, Stoke and a couple more back at Chesterfield. I’ll write about this in detail later when I’m on the train back to Leeds. Right now I’m wating for my connection in Sheffield so decided to get out of the cold and wet in the excellent Sheffield Tap on the station.
18:40.
So much for my cunning plan to blog at length from the train. I’d been waiting for Cross-Country’s 18:21 to Edinburgh to get me to Leeds. Not that I was the only one as dozens of folk lined the platform. Handily, my train was diagrammed to use 1B – right outside the pub! There was just one problem. We were treated to a single 4-car Voyager. It’s like the old days inside. I’m perched on the luggage rack as most seats are occupied and I can’t get near a power socket to plug-in my laptop.
Still, I have to laugh as I’ve just seen a couple of HS2 antis arguing on Twitter that we don’t need HS2 as only the rich use trains! You know that anyone trotting out that nonsense has probably never travelled on the railways at all.
We’re all rich, apparently…
20:40.
I’m back in the warm at home and looking forward to catching up on sleep after such an early start. It’s been a fascinating day that’s allowed me to see so many different things. The inside of a recycling centre near Alfreton (that was a bit ‘ripe’ – even in this weather). A galvanizing factory in Tipton (that was different), a couple of brand new offices and industrial units, a huge business near Stoke employing 280 staff manufacturing meals for M&S that bans anyone bringing in any glass or nuts and finally, the new extension to a huge garden centre – all of which gave me the opportunity to indulge my interest in architecture. Oh, the routes we took also allowed me to view a lot of HS2 construction work around the West Midlands and Birmingham – which is really coming on. Finally, we had a scenic drive back across country through Leek, the Peak District and Bakewell to Chesterfield. So, all in all not a bad day at all – especially as I was being paid to enjoy all this!
Now all I’ve got to do is sort out the pictures – but that’s going to have to wait. Tomorrow I’ve got some serious scribbling to do…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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/
Dawn’s just breaking here in Clapham and I’m preparing to head to the station and off to work somewhere I’ve not been for a while. The weather’s looking a lot better than it was back in Yorkshire which is good. Hopefully I won’t be freezing my nuts off as is often the case on jobs like this. We’ll see. But first it’s time to boost my system with some caffeine. I’ll blog throughout the day and post pictures when I’m able. Catch you later…
07:23.
Having bod adieu to my friend, stolled down to the Junction and picked up a caffeine top-up I’m now on a Southern service to Three Bridges. This time of morning Clapham station felt like the old days with the number of people coming and going – including dozens of schoolkids.
The day’s dawned with nary a cloud in the sky which should make for some good pictures if it stays this way.
Our first stop is East Croydon which is rising into the sky at an ever faster rate. The station’s become hemmed in by high-rise residential blocks whilst the sky is full of tower cranes building more.
08:15.
Part 2 of my journey. I’m on a rail replacement bus from Three Bridges to Haywards Heath. This is a massive operation with covered walkways, marquees and a car park full of buses.
We’re even given drinks tokens!
Of course, the problem now is traffic. We got out of Three Bridges onto the A264 and now we’re stuck in a queue of traffic at a roundabout over the M23. Ho hum…
11:15.
First site visit done. Embankment stabilisation work South of Haywards Heath.
18:45
Well, that was a long but fascinating day and it went far better than I feared that it might. All the early wrinkles were ironed out and it was a joy to be trackside again being part of the amazing work that goes on during railway blockades. Plus, I can add another railway tunnel to add to the list of ones I’ve (legitimately) walked through. I’ll add some pictures later. After the work on the blockade one of my clients staff drove me around various sites across Sussex and Kent to get pictures of work they’d carried out previously – from embankment stabilization to platform extensions. We covered a lot of ground.
It was interesting in another ways in that I got to explore a lot of the area I knew by rail by road, which gave a very different perspective. I was surprised to find some villages in the affluent South that were actually looking pretty down at heel as shops and pubs had closed. Not what I remember from my time down here at all.
Our last job was recording platform extension work at Littlehaven, which was very handy as the station is served by Thameslink, so when we’d finished it was easy for me to head back North without having to cross London on the tube. Instead I had a direct train across the Thames to St Pancras. I have to admit to a fair bit of nostalgia as I took that trip. I have so many happy memories of that part of the world that some were obviously going to come to mind. What did surprise me was how busy stations like Three Bridges and East Croydon have become again. Life’s returning to the railways.
The trip across London via Thameslink is always a delight as it showcases the city’s skyline before plunging underground to deposit me at St Pancras Thameslink. My, I remember visiting this when it was just an enormous concrete box buried underground! As soon as I arrived I made a beeline for Kings Cross next door, my timekeeping was such that I just made LNER’s 17.33 to Harrogate via Leeds. When we pulled out of Kings Cross it was just like the old days. The train is absolutely rammed and I’m sharing a vestibule with a young lad from Skipton (Ryan) and his dog, ‘Trixie’.
20:00.
Despite the fact my LNER train was packed and I was stuck in a vestibule I really enjoyed the journey. Why? Because it was a return to the old days when strangers struck up conversations on trains. It’s something Covid put the mockers on that’s now returning – and it’s brilliant!
Right now I’m on my last leg. Being fleet of foot I had just enough time at Leeds to make an earlier train back to Halifax. I’m now on a service to Blackpool North – another busy train.
Yesterday I talked about the frustrations of freelance life and the way things can change at the drop of a hat. Well, it’s happened again today, only this time in a very positive way!
My plan was to work from home staying in the warm and ignoring the sleet and snow showers outside. I was content researching/writing my next article on HS2 and finishing off some other bits and pieces. Then the phone rang…
A client who I’d discussed some work with just wondered (as much as they knew what fantastically short notice it was) if I was free to work on a line blockade they were involved in South of London tomorrow? Oh, and was I free on Monday for another job too? Crikey!
A few frantic phone calls later I’m now sat on a train from Halifax heading to London via Leeds. I managed to sort out staying with a friend as you really don’t want a four hour journey starting at silly o’ clock before you go working trackside – especially in the land of the 3rd rail. Accidentally standing on something that contains 750v DC can ruin your whole day – although the juice should be turned off in a blockade as no services will be running in that section we may end up at other sites too.
Digging out my PPE and packing my overnight bag Dawn gave me a lift to the station and that was it – I was off to a very different say to the one planned…
I’ll update you on my progress when I get to Leeds.
17:30.
I’m now speeding my way to London aboard LNER’s 17:15 service from Leeds. The amount of passengers passing through the station at Yorkshire’s premier city left me in little doubt that the railways are throwing off the constraints of Covid as people return for commuter and leisure travel. This was the busiest I’ve seen the station all year.
There’s another welcome if noisy return. Trans-Pennine Express have allowed their Class 68 loco fleet to spread their wings again. They put in regular appearances in Leeds as they cross the Pennines.
My London train isn’t exactly quiet either. We’ve just left Wakefield where dozens disembarked after using the train as a fast commuter service. It’s still busy so I’ll be curious how many disembark at Doncaster and points South.
As we left ‘Wakey’ we crossed over the River Calder where the adjacent floodplains are awash with water, bearing testament to just how much rain we’ve had these past couple of weeks. It’s a sobering sight, especially as we still had sleet and snow higher up the river in the valley these past 24 hours.
18:00.
Our stop at Doncaster was as I suspected, loads of people detrained but with a fair few joining. Even so – the wifi is noticeably faster now! Another welcome development is the fact it’s still not yet dark despite some of the heavy cloud handing around. The days are getting noticeably longer which is a welcome sign that (despite the weather conditions) we’re actually beginning to leave winter behind.
As I write this we’re calling at Retford where more people are leaving us only this time they’ve not been replaced by a new influx. I’ll have to have a walk-though the train later just to gauge what the loadings are like.
18:10.
And walk through I did. I count 168 in Standard Class (I’ve no idea how many in 1st). Not a bad loading.
23:00.
Well, that was a fun day! I’m currently lying on a bed at my friend’s house with a grandstand view of Clapham Junction station. The journey across London took me from Kings Cross, along the Victoria line tube to the route’s namesake. It was interesting to see how many people think that Covid isn’t an issue anymore so there’s no reason to wear a mask.
At Victoria with its nice new colour passenger information screens (when did that happen, I was only here a month or so ago!) I caught a Southern Class 455 working to Epsom Downs as far as the Junction – which was remarkably quiet by the time I arrived, but then it was after 20:00.
As the pair of us are working tomorrow we’ve spent the evening indoors chatting, eating and watching the tragedy in the Ukraine unfold on the TV and social media. This must be the first war broadcast on Smartphones by people in the right place at the wrong time. I’m having to hold my spleen firmly in place, otherwise I’d be tempted to vent it in all its rainbow colours about Russia, Oligarchs and the way they’ve bought the collection of nare-do wells who call themselves our Government. What an increasingly difficult world most ordinary people are forced to live in nowadays as power is concentrated in the hands of the few who laugh at the needs and concerns of the many.
Anyway, enough for now. Tomorrow is another day and it’s going to be a busy and complicated one. I’lll blog about the day when I can…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 been another quiet on here at Bigland Towers. The pair of us have been slaving away over hot computers – with varying degrees of success. Freelance life can be frustrating sometimes when you put a lot of effort into sorting out a potential commission only for the client to change their mind at the last moment and can the project. Such is life, sadly and why you always try to have several irons in the fire. At least I can concentrate on other stuff now. Hopefully the project will morph into a bigger job in the next few months.
Apart from that, the day’s not gone badly. I’ve caught up on paperwork and picture editing, continued writing my next articles and even found time this evening to update a blog on the old Class 317 trains as well as be active enough to get all my exercise routines ticked off (and more). Dawn’s been out with friends this evening which meant I didn’t have to cook so pleased myself with a concoction made from few bits from cupboard and fridge and concentrated on working instead, which gives me a clear run at a few other projects tomorrow as well as continuing keyboard bashing. Tomorrow evening I’ll be more traditional and find (and follow) a recipe rather than freestyle for one!
Hopefully the weather will continue to improve and by next week I’ll have space to resume my travels at some point. As always, things on the railways don’t stand still and a lot of changes are afoot. Plus, as the Covid emergency protocols wind down, many train services are being reinstated, which will make movement both easier and more pleasant.
So, on to the picture of the day, which is another in the series of old slides from India taken in 1995. They’re still in my inbox waiting to be edited so won’t be appearing on my Zenfolio website for a while, but here’s a taster. Yesterday’s was of one of the Portuguese Christian churches in Old Goa, today’s is from the Hindu religion and features the Shri Shanta Durga temple in Kavalem, Ponda district, North Goa. It was built between 1730-36.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I promised myself a day working from home today and that’s what I’ve managed to have, which was just as well as we had yet more torrential rain this morning. Yet again roads turned into rivers and the amount of blockages caused by broken off branches from the recent gales made it look like an army of beavers had taken up occupancy in the Calder valley. Like every other local authority Calderdale has suffered from Government cuts to its budgets which means that many drains haven’t been cleaned for years, leading to blocked grids which have added to the problem as water has nowhere to go – except downhill…
The afternoon was a lot drier and brighter, giving the sodden fields a respite and breathing space for the land to begin to drain. It was a lovely time to tear myself away from my computer and go for a long circular walk which took in Sowerby Bridge then home on a route sandwiched between the canal and the Calder. River levels are dropping too, much to many people’s relief as the flood sirens had already sounded in nearby Todmorden over the weekend. Hopefully we’re now past the worst.
Back home I’ve had a busy day catching up on paperwork, organising future commissions (which when they come off will be an interesting challenge) plus prepping and researching my next series of magazine articles. So, all in all – not a bad day. Of course, all this means that scanning old slides has had to take a backseat, which is unfortunate but unavoidable as there are only so many hours in the day. I’m determined to get the last ones scanned this year and I have a folder full of scans waiting to be edited, but paying jobs take priority. Oh, there’s blogs to be written too – but these may also have to take a bit of a backseat other than short daily updates. Still, I’ll see what I can pack in to longer days.
I’ll end today with a picture of the day from the batch of slide scans which are still in the holding folder until I can find time to edit them and get them on my Zenfolio website. This one’s another from the batch of Images of India taken in 1995/96. Our little band took a trip to Old Goa, which was the religious centre of the Portuguese enclave of Goa. Whilst the British left in 1947, the Portuguese had to be forcibly removed from the colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu. The newly independent India launched “Operation Vijay” in December 1961 and took back the territory held by the Portuguese for 450 years. Needless to say, a lot of influence was left behind – including old cathedrals and churches like this – the church of St Cajeta.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’d planned to be working from home all day today but things changed when Dawn asked if I’d come into Huddersfield with her whilst she checked the Community Rail Network offices in the old water-tower at the station. How could I refuse? Dee also had a meeting at the offices that was still going ahead despite the weather so I made myself scarce for a few hours by nipping over the border into Lancashire to get some pictures and see how the railway’s coping with the torrential rain and storms we’ve been having. I’d had a quick look on Real Time Trains which showed Colne Valley services running with just a few delays, so I wasn’t expecting any real problems.
My first stop was at Greenfield where there’s a rather nice juxtaposition of road and rail to be had. The weather wasn’t as its best, but even so – it’s important to document our rail network in all conditions, not pretend the sun shines 365 days a year. I managed a series of shots but was curious when an Eastbound TPE service hove into sight at a very slow speed before pulling up at a nearby signal despite it showing a green aspect. The Class 802 sat there for a few minutes before moving off – as did I because I was catching the 12:14 further West.
185109 and 185139 thunder past me whilst working 1P66, the 0907 Redcar Central to Manchester Piccadilly.802201 crawls away from Greenfield after being asked to inspect flooding on the line between there and Mossley whilst working 1P23, the 1054 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.
My 185 arrived on time but soon slowed to a crawl. The Conductor came on the PA to announce that Control had reported flooding on the line and asked them to do a slow-speed inspection. Why soon became evident. The massive rainfall we’ve had has left the ground saturated and incapable of holding more water so any extra is running straight off the land and forming streams all over the place. The steep sloping fields on the North side of the line had released several cascades of water which where beginning to flood the line. None of it was above the railhead (the crucial measure) but it was an obvious cause for concern. We crawled on to our next stop at Mossley where we regained line speed before calling at Staylebridge where I disembarked.
Initially, the weather to the West of the Pennines was little better than the East, so I sought refuge in and old haunt – the Station Buffet bar. I’ve known the place for over 20 years. It’s always had a cracking range of real ales and a fascinating collection of railway memorabilia adorning the walls but there’s a personal touch lacking now that it’s owned by the Beerhouses pub chain who also have the West Riding bar on Dewsbury station. The famous pie and peas have disappeared off the menu too, leaving little choice for the hungry traveller.
I stayed long enough for a pint and to gather my thoughts before heading back across the Pennines to Marsden, my next stop. As I’d not planned a day out I hadn’t packed any food so the first thing I did was make a beeline for the town centre, hoping to find a ‘chippy’ and indulge in a rare threat – chips and mushy peas. Sadly, the purveyor of such products was closed so I had to make do with an cold Cornish pasty from a local bakery. On the bright side, the Riverhead Brewery had re-opened after its Covid hibernation so I was able to enjoy a quick pint and a warm before heading back to Huddersfield on a very busy local service, demonstrating that rail passenger numbers are really recovering in this neck of the woods.
21:00.
I’m now back at home with no intention of venturing out again as I’ve too much to do over the next few days. Still it was nice whilst it lasted…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Yep, a slight change from pictures as today’s been full of surprises due to the weather, which has been wet, wet, wet. The wind and rain have never stopped all day, kyboshing any hopes I had out getting out for a walk as I’d have ended up looking like a drowned rat despite my waterproofs. Plus, this is not the time to be bumbling through the woods surrounding the cottage as trees are starting to fall like ninepins.
However, this afternoon the pair of us headed out and over to the Colne valley to pick up Norah and John (Dawn’s parents) as today was Norah’s 81st birthday and we’d a meal booked at the Bulls Head pub in Linthwaite in the Colne valley to the West of Huddersfield. The weather has been filthy as we drove over with several roads flooded and others on the valley sides turning into streams. But, as we drove along Blackmoorfoot Rd we were hit by a cloudburst of the likes I’ve never experienced in the UK before. It swept in from across the valley and within seconds visibility dropped to zero because of the sheer amount of water dropping from the sky that was blowing in on a gale. Dee immediately stopped the car as it was unsafe to drive in those conditions. I’ve only ever seen rain bucket down like that in SE Asia, never in the UK. We were all a bit stunned but I managed to get my phone out and record some of it (but not the height) as it passed. Here’s what we saw.
Once it cleared we got to the pub without further incident and enjoyed some lovely food. I’d been recommend the lamb shank which proved to be delicious – and looked pretty good too…
Heading back we dropped Dee’s folks off and drove back home through yet more heavy rain. Now we’re tucked up in the warm (and dry) and won’t be venturing out again! The forecast isn’t great for next week either but I’m hoping that the Calder won’t be bursting its bank yet again. I’ll venture down to the river tomorrow to see, but hopefully this trend will continue.
After a very pleasant evening staying with an old friend in London it’s another early start for me as I’m now heading to an assignment in Bristol this morning. Right now it’s time to walk down to Clapham Junction to catch a train to Reading. Today’s itinerary is Reading – Bristol – Westbury, after which I’ll be making my way to Cardiff where I’ll be staying overnight. Friday could prove interesting due to the next storm arriving. Snow and heavy winds are predicted for West Yorkshire so my journey home could prove to be fun!
I’ll be blogging throughout the day and (hopefully) from the event, so feel free to keep popping back to see what I get up to…
07:00.
Clapham Junction staion was just waking up when I arrived. Most catering outlets were still closed but a cheery Costa Coffee kiosk on platform 10 provided me with my caffeine fix before I joined fellow travellers on platform 6 to catch the 06:58 to Reading. Dawn was beginning to break and the racous noise of parakeets made it obvious I was in London. The little buggers are slowly colonising the city and seem to be thriving.
Up the junction…
I’m now on one of a pair of 5-car Class 458s making up a 10-car set. The train’s busy, but not rammed. Hardly anyone on here will be travelling the full route like me. This is a short-hop route and many who joined at Clapham disembarked at Richmond.
08:00.
Not far to go now. I don’t often travel this route so it’s interesting to see the changes – such as the new depot on the site of the old Feltham marshalling yard site. Laid out in modern style it was occupied by several of the new Class 701s, none of which have ever turned a wheel in passenger service yet. They’re little more than expensive pigeon perches right now!
As expected, my train continued to empty out all along the route, at least until we got to Wokingham where a healthy number were waiting for us to arrive. I’m assuming we’re now in Reading’s orbit and these are Thames Valley commuters. This impression was reinforced when we called at Earley which was really busy, filling up the train again.
After all the rain and moody skies I’ve suffered recently today’s actually a great on for travelling. We have wall to wall sunshine and clear blue skies. I only hope this holds out for later when I’m in a position to make the most of it!
09:00
I’m now bowling along Brunel’s ‘billiard table’ at a rate of knots aboard on of GWR’s Hitachi built Class 800/3s working the 08:27 to Britol Temple Meads. These things really can shift! The acceleration is especially impressive. Also impressive is the billion pound rebuilding of Reading station that’s left it unrecognisable from the place of my youth. But it’s not just the station that’s changed. So have most of the train fleets with electric power being dominant now. An oddity I noticed was a couple of the C2C Class 387s, three of which are now with GWR on a year-long lease, I’d forgotten about them! Covering the entire UK rail network as I do it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the changes as I can’t get everywhere all the time. I really do need to spend some time down this way again soon. I’ve lots of fond memories of this line from my days living in London as Lynn and I would often travel the route for cycling weekends in the Thames valley or longer trips to Wiltshire or Cornwall and Devon.
09:15.
Having called at Chippenham where the overhead wires run out we’ve switched to diesel power and I can feel the engine underneath me taking the strain. Cancelling the wires to Bristol (and Oxford) is yet another example of Government penny-pinching and short-term thinking. We’re in a climate emergency a should be doing everything we can to decarbonise transport for the good of the planet but our current political masters don’t have the sense to see that. Instead, we have the ludicrous situation of electric trains hauling around heavy diesel power-packs and fuel tanks to allow them to operate away from the wires.
10:15.
I’m now at the Engine Shed at Bristol for the launch of the ‘window seater’ app which is a high quality geolocated audio guide. It’s been developed in partnership with Community Rail Network and funded by Innovate (UKRI) and the Dept of Transport. You can dowload it for Apple or Android phones.
17:50
Hmm – not the day I was expecting although I did wonder if the new storm would affect me. What I hadn’t expected was that it wouldn’t just eb a minor irritant and would change my plans completely!
Initially things had been going well. The launch of the app went well. After the initial event at Bristol we all boarded a GWR train to Westbury for an audio demonstration of what it had to offer as a route guide. The content’s really varied. It covers history and also contemporary life, such as the stories of people who set up adoption groups at their local station. At Westbury the Trans-Wilts Partnership served light refreshments and gave out goody bags from their centre in one of the old station buildings. Sadly, the weather had descended into showers by the time we arrived so I didn’t hang around. Instead I retraced my steps as far as Bradford on Avon where the sun still reigned which allowed me to get a scenic shot of a train crossing the bridge over the River Avon in sunshine.
I didn’t hang around as I needed to get more pictures from the app launch away to clients, which proved easier said than done as wifi reception was a none-starter and tethering my phone to may laptop didn’t work as 4G reception was awful – even in Bath! It wasn’t until I got back to Bristol that I managed to get the pictures away. It was at this point things went even more awry.
Dawn texted me to say that the severe weather warning had been raised from Amber to Red and that Wales was cancelling all train services tomorrow – so that was my plans up shit creek! Oh, and the icing on the cake? The Met Office was predicting up to 20cm of snow in the Pennines – so even if I could get back I might not be able to make it home without breaking my neck. There was only one thing to do and that was admit defeat and journey home. But first I had to overcome the communication problems and send off the batch of pictures the client needed, which kept me hanging around for another hour. Admittedly, it also allowed to me to get a last few pictures at Temple Meads where the main arch of the overall roof’s being enveloped in scaffolding and a crash-deck in order to restore it to the former glory it once held.
Mind you, the approaches to Temple Meads have changed somewhat recently. Not only has the Eastern throat been completely redesigned and renewed, there’s some interesting new architecture as a backdrop.
17:00
And now here I am on the 16:34 Cross-Country Voyager from Bristol heading for Leeds. I’m in the rear set and whilst this 5 car Class 221’s busy it’s not overcrowded. I’ve no doubt it’ll do what Voyagers always do and be the train version of ‘hot desking’ as it makes its way up to Scotland.
22:30.
Well, I made it home. The Voyager to Leeds via Birmingham and Derby ended up very busy but not unpleasantly so. I managed to get some work done en-route and even though we were a few minutes late into Leeds I still made my connection through to Halifax where Dawn picked me up so that I didn’t have to walk for a change.
The weather back in West Yorkshire’s a lot colder, but there’s no sign (yet) of the impending storm. I’m disappointed to have missed out on Cardiff and the pictures that I had planned but I’ve plenty of things to do to do at home tomorrow as I’ve a mass of pictures to sort out. Plus, I get to spend more quality time with Dawn – and I don’t have to worry about the weather! What’s not to like?
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Paul Bigland 