09:45.

I’ve escaped the Calder Valley today as it’s time for one of my regular perambulations to Milnesbridge in the nearby Colne valley. The weather forecast suggested today was going to be a wet one but the day dawned with a mixture of sunshine and cloud so I’m taking the risk and heading out early in order to explore on the way.

The first leg, strolling downhill to Sowerby Bridge was rather pleasant as the slight breeze stopped me overheating as I’m carrying the (slightly slimmed-down) camera bag today.

Whilst I was waiting for the train I had time to read some of the local history boards that line the platforms thanks to the efforts of the station friends and funding from Community Rail Network. This one in particular caught my eye. It’s the story of a local man who invented a product many of us are familiar with that was (and is) sold around the world. Meet Frederick Walton…

I love these history boards as they’re informative, educational and add to people’s understanding of an area.

Right now I’m on a 3-car Class 158, the 09:24 from Sowerby Bridge which is heading for Leeds via Brighouse. It’s a relatively quiet train that’s slowly filling up on the way.

10:25.

As usual, I swapped trains at Dewsbury to retrace some of my steps to Huddersfield. Whilst I was there I remembered the station commemorates two local men who were important in the modern digital revolution and computer age.

Right now I’m sipping a coffee having scoffed a bacon roll from the excellent station cafe. This will fortify me for my next leg. As I’ve so much time in the bank I’m going to eschew my normal route (walking along the canal from Slaithwaite to Milnsbride) and walk directly from Huddersfield, shadowing the railway to visit a couple of photographic locations en-route.

12:05.

I’m now high above Milnesbridge having walked from Huddersfield through a district called Paddock. I’ve not been that way since the pandemic and it’s rather depressing. So many shops and pubs closed their doors for the final time – although they didn’t know it at the time. The deadly combination of Covid and Brexit has proved fatal to so many businesses.

Right now I’m at a local landmark which offers stunning views.

12:45.

That last picture was taken atop the Longwood Tower. I’ve now descended, passed under the viaduct you see in the picture and climbed above it on the other side. Now it’s time for a break, rest and go off the grid for a while. Catch you later…

15:30.

My final visit to Milnesbridge (for now) over and done with I caught the bus back into Huddersfield before transferring to the train for a trip to Leeds. My Hull bound TPE service was the quietest I’ve been on for a while but then it was a 6-car! The earlier train I caught from Dewsbury was absolutely rammed Wwith people and suitcases, many of whom appeared to be heading for the train’s final destination – Manchester Airport.

15:50.

My trip to Leeds was interesting as some Network Rail compounds have sprung up as part of the forthcoming TRU (Transpennine Route Upgrade) including a large one at Batley which I need to visit. Leeds station was in the interregnum between rush-hours yet still contained plenty of people. I only hung around long enough to catch the first train out to the Aire valley and Bingley that I could. I’ve decided to pop in and join a group that (despite regular invitations) I’ve only managed to catch up with once before. ‘Wind Up North’ is a weekly meeting of present and former rail staff (and friends) that moves between different pubs in different towns. Today the rendezvous is the new pub/restaurant in the old stationmaster’s house at Bingley.

16:52.

Here we are…

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Thank you!

There’s a short blog from me today. After all my travels over the past week I’m glad to have some time at home and chance to catch up with myself before another hectic couple of weeks. Right now my focus is on editing and collating all the pictures that I’ve taken in order to get them out to clients. OK, I *did* take a couple of hours break this afternoon to indulge another passion – gardening. We visited our local B&Q to pick up a selection of DIY materials, but some of their plants were too good to resist. The upstairs terrace in now looking a lot brighter because of my purchases.

Right now I’m having a less than rock and roll Saturday as I’m stuck in the office editing, but – hey ho – it pays the bills. My efforts are leaving you with the picture of the day which was taken on my trip to Kent on Thursday as part of Community Rail week. Students from Ashford college took part in an event that included experiencing a return train trip to Maidstone, where SouthEastern rail staff taught them how various aspects of the railways work – including making announcements. This particular young lady couldn’t resist having a go – and did very well indeed.

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

Thank you!

Having spent the morning pottering around, writing, posting off eBay buyers purchases and prepping the garden to survive our absence Dawn and I are waiting for friends to arrive to take us all to Manchester Airport for our flight to Berlin. I can’t quite believe that after 2 years and one aborted attempt (thanks Covid) the five of us are finally on our way. Sadly sans the 6th Musketeer – Tony Allen – who passed away last year. Still, we’ll sink a few in his memory…

I’ll blog about our journey as and when I can…

15:15.

We’re on our way…

15:42.

Oh, the joys of the ‘cobbled motorway’ (aka the M62)…

16:29.

We’re using a car drop-off place on the Styal Rd, just South of the airport railway delta junction. It’s a great use of acres of disused greenhouses as all the vehicles are kept undercover. Now we’re on the bus to take us to the terminal.

17:30.

Oh, the fun of Manchester Airport and Ryanair check in. The self bag drop is farcical. Half the label printing machines are broken. When you do get your bag labelled you join another queue to drop off your bag. But there’s only one person doing it. Then the belt’s broken! So we’ve been standing here for nearly an hour! My friends have found a way of passing the time..

1950.

We’re late, fed up of queuing and haven’t had a drink, but at least we’re on the plane…

Saturday morning update…

Our plane was an hour late into the Brandenburg airport but I can’t fault the flight crew, who were a mix of Spanish and Italian. They were lovely. Getting through the airport was a breeze as (unlike Manchester) everything works. Even the immigration staff were friendly although I’ll never get used to our loss of freedom and our new 3rd country status (thanks for nothing Brexiters). As we were arriving so late we’d arranged for a taxi pickup for the half-hour trip to our hotel near Alexanderplatz. We checked in with just 20 nins left before the bar closed at 1AM so headed straight to it before going to our rooms. Once again the staff were lovely and also flexible so we managed to squeeze two rounds in before they shut up shop and we retired to bed at 02:00.

Tomorrow’s a new day…

10:00.

We’re just packing up here in Surrey before heading back North once more in a game of motorway ping-pong that we’ve been playing quite a bit recently. The kids have gone to school, Dawn’s brother’s waiting for his flight back from Spain, I’ve stuffed the car with our luggage, so all that’s left is to take ‘Tilly’, the family’s Cairn Terrier for a walk then we can head off.

The weather’s dry but dull so the journey shouldn’t be too onerous and we’re in no rush. The plan is to have a minor diversion in Northamptonshire to have a look at some of the High-Speed 2 construction sites, so expect some pictures later…

11:25.

We’re on the way! Driving through the centre of Farnham was interesting. The town was dead and the roads quiet. You could see from the numbers of cars parked up in people’s driveways at many folks are back working from home. Mind you, in an affluent area like this they have both the space and the type of jobs that allow that to happen.

12:00.

We’re currently bowling along the M4 which is busier than we thought it might be but nothing like normal.

15:30.

We’re now making steady progress up the M1 in Nottinghamshire after a stop at Brackley to have a look at the HS2 work. I’ll add more details and pictures later but our visit confirmed that work on this section is in its early stages compared to other parts of the route. This gave me chance to get some shots which will be an interesting contrast to what it will look like in six months time when earthmoving is in earnest. Here’s where the bridge is being built to allow HS2 to pass under a realigned A43.

We covered a loop from Brackley which took us past the old Great Central station where the street level booking office has been converted to a chip shop and poodle parlour!

Sunday began in a lazy fashion. After all, it’s the weekend – what’s the rush? But the pace picked up after brunch as I decided to make the most of the mild weather and dry day to scratch off a few chores before heading North once more. The flower beds were in need of cutting back and tidying up, a job I was happy to do in preparation for the winter. That said, I was surprised how much was still flowering. I still have some yellow poppies flowering in the front garden and a couple of stray flowers have appeared on an Azalea bush out the back. The seasons seem to be as confused as me sometimes! Another little job was to top up the bird feeders so that Dawn has some colourful company whilst I’m away.

Good deeds done the pair of us managed to get out for a walk through Scarr woods and up to Savile Park and back just to blow the cobwebs away. Both of us were surprised just how many leaves are left on the trees on both sides of the valley, despite the fact you’re ankle deep in them walking through the woods. Is autumn longer and later this year? We can’t quite work it out…

As dusk began to set it was time for me to bid adieu to both Dawn and the Calder valley once more. As I’ve (literally) got a suitcase in tow this time Dee gave me a lift to Halifax station where I caught the 17:29 Northern service bound for Preston. Normally, these Blackpool services are worked by 3-car Class 195s but today we were treated to a 2-car which I expected would get ‘cosy’ en-route but in actual fact it was fine as far as Preston. The whole journey was completed in darkness which was a shame but – hey – it’s November! I contented myself with getting some writing done instead of window gazing.

On arrival at Preston I didn’t have long to wait before my next train arrived. This was another CAF product in the shape of a Trans-Pennine Express Class 397 on a Liverpool Lime St – Glasgow Central service. Seats were at a premium but I managed to find a pair of free airline seats by a luggage rack at the end of car 2. Sitting over the bogie’s always a good place to be able to judge the quality of the ride and (as usual with CAF products) it was hard. I rather like the interior of these units and the pull-out extension to the seatback tables is great for being able to use a laptop, but it’s easy to miss keystrokes when the trains bouncing around so much. Despite the niggles, the performance of these trains is impressive. They’re 125mph trains and they can certainly shift – even without tilt.

I’m now in Carlisle where I’m staying for the night before heading up to Glasgow in time for the start of the three day ‘Low-carbon logistics’ event at Mossend yard just outside Motherwell. This is a strategic stop just South of the border that gets me in range for getting to the start of the event (which would be impossible from home). Compared to how it can be on a Friday-Saturday night (when every village idiot for miles around descends on the place) Sunday in Carlisle seems quite civilised. Not that I’m venturing far – my hotel is literally across the road from the station.

An early night beckons as there’s little of interest to photograph at Carlisle station on a Sunday night. Instead, a quiet night tucked up with the laptop preparing some more articles seems like a good move. However, expect a rolling blog with plenty of pictures tomorrow…

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/

Thank you!

09:30.

I know yesterday’s blog fizzled out. That was mainly due to being out in the wind and rain on the Cumbrian coast with an old friend which left me no time to finish it. But I will wind it up later today when I have more time.

Right now I’m on my way from Carlisle to Hexham after spending a pleasant night in the city with Hassard. The two of us having chance to catch up with a beer and a meal. I’m heading for Hexham in order to find a quiet space for an hour or two to take part in a dreaded ‘Zoom call’. This one’s part of the judging process for the 2021 Community Rail Awards, so I suppose it’s rather appropriate that I join in from a station that’s won awards in the past! Once that’s done – and if the weather plays ball – I’ll be visiting some lovely photographic locations along the Tyne Valley line. Pop back later to see what I get up to…

13:30.

Judging done! I must admit, a waiting room on a railway station’s the most unusual place I’ve joined the from team so far. Technical difficulties meant I had to use my phone, not the laptop but as I had all my notes with me it wasn’t an issue. It was the constant PA interruptions by ‘Digital Doris’ making station announcements that was the worst bit. Still, the team of myself, CRN’s Hazel Bonner and Nik Schofield plus ex-Today’s Railways UK magazine Paul Abell whittled down an excellent selection of pictures showing the past year in the life of community rail volunteers down to just 10. These will be displayed on CRN’s website next week to sllow a vote on the winner.

Job done, I couldn’t resist the station bar on platform 2 to celebrate. The bar hadn’t been opened the last time I was here back in 2018 but it’s a welcome addition. Serving teas coffees, sandwiches and cakes, it also sells 3 very local draught real ales.

21:00.

Really? Is that the time? I’m on the final leg home from Preston to Halifax now. I’d hoped to blog from the Tyne valley but I kept finding myself in reception blackspots which I found surprising as I’m on the O2 network which is normally very good.

Needless to say, I’ve had a busy day. I’ve managed to visit stations I’d never been to before as well as a few familiar locations. I didn’t get all the pictures I wanted but that’s hardly surprising as the route is rich in photo opportunities. I’m not complaining as the weather was far better than predicted. I’ll edit the pictures tomorrow and add a few to the blog. I was hoping to do that earlier but I succumbed to window gazing as I don’t get chance to appreciate this neck of the woods as often as I should. The line (and its train service) is very much in two parts. The nexus is Hexham. The service East from the town along the Tyne valley’s more intensive with a mix of hourly stoppers and semi-fasts. West of Hexham its hourly with a reduced stopping pattern leaving some locations of trains every two hours. Hardly ideal, but how much traffic do they generate outside the peaks? We’ll never know unless the service improves…

That aside, the line West of Hexham’s much more rugged. It doesn’t stick to the river so it wends and winds its way across the country – and Hadrian’s wall. I’ve not been to the Wall since I was on a school trip when I’d just turned into a teenager. I keep promising to come back. Last year Dawn and I had booked accomodation in Hexham that woukd have allowed exactly that but the lockdown 2 put the mockers on that

11:30.

We have another lovely day here in West Yorkshire so I’m repeating my photographic travels in the next-door Colne Valley, hopefully hunting down some of the diverted freight services that are gracing their rails for the next 10 days, plus adding some library shots of a line that will be changing dramatically over the next few years as part of the multi-billion pound TRU (Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade).

Right now I’m making my way from Sowerby Bridge to Huddersfield via Dewsbury aboard one of Northern’s refurbished Class 158s. I much prefer them to the old as there’s actually some leg-room at the table seats, plus they’re fitted with USB charging points. The 11:23’s a quiet train with just a handful aboard. I’ll be curious to see what others look like later. Stay with me to find out…

12:45.

Beat laid plans and all that, eh? I stopped off at Mirfield to get photographs of the extended garden looked after by the station friends. They’ve done an excellent job (as you’ll see later). Whilst there I checked to see how the freight services I was hunting were running only to find they’d been cancelled! Now I have to come up with a plan B. There’s no point sticking the the Colne valley so I’m going to venture West across the Pennines to (hopefully) look at some of the TRU work around Manchester. Watch this space…

Right now I’m on a stopper heading for Stalybridge form Huddersfield which is busy with folks on days out. I’m please to report the vast majority are still wearing masks.

After calling at Greenfield and Mossley we got even busier with folks heading into the city.

16:00.

Sorry for the break but I’ve been busy travelling. I abandoned my TPE chariot at Stalybridge in order to sample what are one of the most hated phrases in the English language. The ‘rail replacement’ bus service! Trains to Manchester Victoria via Ashton-under-Lyme are being substituted by buses to Ashton, thence Guide Bridge where you can rejoin the railway. I gave it a go and I have to say it worked without a hitch. Double-deck buses run every half hour. They’re clean -and empty as most people have already found alternative routes. I actually qute enjoyed it as it took me places in East Manchester I’d never been before although it was a mixed bag of derelict mills and churches leavened with a lot of closed shops with the occaisional hint of what a prosperous area it must once have been. That said, as someone who enjoys architecture, I loved some of the buildings. The lovely red Accrington brick dominates here.

18:45.

An intresting and varied day. On arrival at Guide Bridge I caught a train to Manchester Piccadilly. The weather was excellent and the city centre full of life so I decided to visit the top floor of a car park I knew near Oxford Rd that provides a great vantage point over the rail connection known as the Castlefield corridor – although bottleneck is more apt. This two-track section of line is horribly overcrowded with both passenger and freight services.

Having had my fill of rail photographs I nipped into bearby Chinatown to pick up some culinary supplies as we’ve run out of fish sauce and the evil red birdseye chillies. I found fish sauce without a problem but – despite trying several Chinese supermarkets – I couldn’t get the chillies for love nor money. I believe they’re imported from Thailand. As that country’s struggling to get its population Covid vaccinated this nay have something to do with it.

I was tempted to risk coming back via the rail replacement service via Rochdale but decided I’d had enough ‘bus fun’ for the day so returned via train to Huddersfield instead.

The trip was quite sad because I sahed the front portion of the train with an elderly, wheelchair-bound woman and her middke-aged son who was acting as her carer. The dynamic was awful. The pair of them obviously had ‘issues’ which made me feel so incredibly grateful for my life and circumstances. Never forget – there but for the grace of God (even if you don’t believe in Gods)..

Public transport has a myriad of functions. One of which is to showcase how the other half lives – and I’ll always be appreciative of those lessons.

22:30.

I’m pausing this blog now as I’ve more thoughts and pictures to add – but that’s not going to happen until tomorrow as I’m back at home and it’s time to relax. I’m working from home all day tomorrow which will give me time to finalise this blog, edit the past two days pictures – and finish filleting Simon Jenkins Guardian nonsense – which has turned into an epic as there’s so much rubbish to refute with evidence. Until then – goodnight!

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

There’s a short blog from me today as the pair of us have had a very convivial afternoon with friends in another friends garden. It’s been a lovely chance to catch up with people whom we haven’t seen in three dimensions for a long time! Lots of alcohol was drunk and many stories swapped. The opportunity to catch up with people in the flesh after all this time is something to be savoured, as is the spontinaity it provokes when it comes to telling tales and swapping stories. I won’t embarass anyone with photographs from our carousing. Instead, my picture of the day is one from my slide archive.

I took this shot in Hunstanton, Norfolk on the 24th August 2003. Bikes within bikes…

I’ve a week at home now as I try and catch up with my travels and scribble a couple of stories on the back of it for some magazines whilst suppling tranches of pictures to other clients – so expect plenty of blogging, but of the static kind!

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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!