A very short blog from me tonight as I’ve had a very busy few days with no time to write as spending time with family and friends has taken priority. That said, I have had a little time to catch up with editing some of the hundreds of images that I took earlier in the week – hence today’s picture.
Whilst in London I commented on how much the city’s skyline’s changing. Here’s an example. I’d not taken pictures from this spot (St Johns station) in South London since 2015. The backdrop’s changed completely. Welcome to yet one more of London’s satellite skyscraper districts, the ‘megapolis’ of Lewisham. The tower cranes give away the fact that this is just the start. Come back in another couple of years…
Back in 2015 there was just a single high rise on the horizon in my pictures. What I can’t work out is who exactly is going to be living in all this speculative (but certainly not cheap) building.
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It’s a bright sunny day here in the North-West and West Yorkshire so I thought I’d nip into Manchester to visit a supermarket in Chinatown to pick up some supplies for a Thai Red curry from my favourite shop Hang Won Hong in George St. They also have an online shop if you’re interested.
I’d also heard that HS2Rebellion were advertising a march from a park in Longsight to Piccadilly Gardens where they were going to hold a rally. As Chinatown’s just around the corner I thought I’d have a look on my way home.
Oh, dear! What a farce. To say the reality didn’t match the billing would be an understatement! It was even more of a joke than their last debacle in January. Here’s how the farce was sold on Facebook and other social media.
There was no ‘march’ and the promised white elephants were more like pink elephants – as they didn’t exist. What there was consisted of a trestle table, about 10 people and a few banners. Oh, and a few of the usual Nimby suspects from the Warrington area trying to persuade passers-by to accept out leaflets and some bored teenagers with Extinction Rebellion banners who looked like they’d expected to be part of a million-man march only to be horribly disappointed. This time the group couldn’t even muster music, kids – or a dog! In fact, there was far more entertainment available at the other end of the gardens where the Christian ‘happy clappy’ brigade were (at least they had music). What the HS2 antis did offer was so tone-deaf when it came to ‘green massaging’ I couldn’t help but snort in laughter!
They had a bloke with a tiny megaphone. Reading out a list of road names. Roads that would be closed during the construction of a new green railway that will be the backbone of our new green rail network. Extinction Rebellion complaining about road closures! The irony was weapons grade but it went over their heads at such a height it left a vapour trail. Of course. this wasn’t an original idea. They’d lifted it from former Stophs2 ‘campaign manager’ Joe Rukin who came up with it and posted this mad video to Youtube. They’re unthinkingly parroting his words.
What was unclear was how many of their tiny band were actually from Manchester. I’d guess no more than a couple. Needless to say the reaction from Mancunians walking by was ‘meh’. They’ll have got rid of a few leaflets and that’s that.
How this is meant to stop HS2 is one of life’s mysteries. The Hybrid Bill for the line from Crewe to Manchester is going through Parliament now. It’s unstoppable. Still, it keeps them out of trouble on a sunny day…
A bloke with XR stickers on his megaphone reeling off a list of roads to be closed to build a railway (thus green public transport). The cognitive dissonance of these faux ‘environmentalists’ is beyond parody. Remind me, what have XR spent much of their time doing these past few years, oh yes – closing roads!
Just to put this protest in context. The HS2 phase 2b route from Crewe to Manchester passes through 14 Parliamentary constituencies Here’s the list with the number of constituents in each.
Yep, that’s a grand total of 1.43 million people. 12 turned up to protest in Manchester. It’s a drop in the ocean.
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After the gloomy skies and heavy rain we had yesterday, today couldn’t be any more different I woke up to wall to wall sunshine here in Clapham but with windows streaked with Saharan sand! I’m looking forward to exploring again today but my focus is going to shift to areas of the network I’ve not really visited for a while. When I still lived in London I’d regularly pop over from leafy Crouch End to travel on and photograph the South-Eastern suburban network but in recent years my focus has been elsewhere. Now change is upon the railway yet again. Now some of the BR and Metro-Cammell built ‘Networkers’ that have been the staple of suburban services since the early 1990s have been stored and replaced by Siemens Class 707s displaced from South-West Rail. Judging by my travels yesterday passenger numbers are recovering well with some services back to the levels of overcrowding we saw pre Covid. I’ll be interested to see what they look like today.
Feel free to pop back later to see how my day unfolds. But for now, it’s time for coffee and breakfast…
10:45.
Remember I mentioned that Saharan sand? Here’s how it’s left a SET Class 707 looking…
11:15.
I’m often remarking on how London’s changed since I left. My next stop was a great illustration of that fact. I called in at Lewisham to photograph trains traversing the famous scissor junction to the East of the station and I was gobsmacked at how much the place has changed. It’s another mini-city skyscraper complex nowadays. Huge blocks dominate with cranes busy building more. The spot on the station where I’d once have stood in sunshine is now in deep shadow. More shadows fall across the junction itself. This development’s not unsurprising as the area has excellent transport links. The arrival of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) cemented that as it bridged the Thames and provided access to Canary Wharf and beyond. I’ll add some pictures later…
19:15.
“Mind the gap” – as they say on the London underground! Apologies for the absence of updates but it’s been a very bust day with me constantly moving around so having no time to put finger to keyboard. My travels took me around South-East London and afar afield as Tonbridge in Kent, a place that I’ve not visited for many a year! I’ve fond memories of it being a hub for mail and engineers trains back in BR days when the yard was full of stuff. It’s changed, but not too much. The yard’s now an important base for freight operator GBRf – hence these newly converted class 56s keeping company with those traditional old Southern region electro-diesels.
From there I made a speedy return to London and explored a few more old photo locations to make the most of the glorious sunshine. I’ll be adding pictures later. My final act was to meet some old rail industry friends at St Pancras for a swift libation before heading back North on an Avanti service to Manchester. That passenger numbers are recovering was evident at Euston as the ‘100 yard seat dash’ is back in fashion. In pre Covid times you’d see this in action daily. Just as soon as the platform number of the service you required was displayed on the board there’d be a mad dash from the concourse to the platform as hundreds of people all tried to get to the train first to find an unreserved seat. Now it’s back.
My Pendolino was packed, but part of the reason for that was the first stop was Milton Keynes where a large number detrained. This is the problem with some ‘inter-city’ services. They’re actually neither fish not fowl and end up serving multiple markets. Thankfully (on the WCML at least) HS2 will solve this problem to allow much faster intercity times and also allow a better frequency of services to places like Milton Keynes – and beyond. The other stop on this particular train was Nuneaton, another town that’s normally by-passed by the Manchester run. Clearly, these stops are slipped in because there’s a market – and there’s no paths available to allow them to be served any other way.
20:45.
I’m now on the final leg. My Pendo was late due to trespassers on the line North of Nuneaton but the 10 minute delay didn’t affect my connections. I was in half a mind to stop for a pint in Manchester just to enjoy the ambience but the Northern Quarter was packed with young revelers so with one eye on the rising Covid statistics I opted to give it a miss. Instead, I’m on a Northern 3-car back to Halifax which is pretty quiet. It’s taking a few folks home who’ve either stayed late at work or (like me) decided to call it an early night.
This may be a bit of a fits and starts rolling blog – especially as it’s taken me until 13:00 to begin writing despite the fact I’ve been up since 04:45 and travelled from West Yorkshire to London where I’ll be for the next couple of days!
Looking through my library to find pictures for a recent series of blogs I spotted some gaps in the archive plus age of the pictures so I though I’d take what may be my last chance to visit haunts old and new to record the passing of some of the the old BR built 3rd rail electric units along with some updated shots of services I’ve not shot for some time.
It’s been a good trip so far, even if the weather’s not exactly vintage. It’s been gloomy and damp, but that hasn’t affected things too much. Tomorrow is meant to be really sunny, so I’m saving some locations for then.
Here’s a little sample. A pair of Southern’s Class 455s pulling away from Norwood Junction with a service from East Croydon to London Bridge. I’d arrived on this train earlier in the morning.
14:25.
The gloomy weather’s persisted with the added fun of soft rain. Having got the shots I wanted around Norwood Junction bar one (the new high-rise Croydon as a backdrop – the weather’s too dull) I headed off to Sutton to catch some of the 455s which operate Victoria to Epsom services. En route I passed through a very old haunt – Wallington. Back in 1979-80 I used to stay with an ex-girlfriend from Liverpool who lived in a gorgeous 1920s semi that was being rented out as cheap rooms because it was blighted by a proposal to build a Motorway. I’ve never been back since but crossing the high street on the train brought back memories that are now over 40 years old. It was a very different era, with old slam door trains everywhere and little 2-car units on the service to Wimbledon via Mitcham Jn – long before the line was converted to be part of the Croydon tramlink.
My stay at Sutton was brief but productive with several different images secured. As the weather was deteriorating I decided to retrace my steps to East Croydon. In the 1980’s it possessed a grand old signalbox mounted over the tracks at the London end. I always regret I never managed to get pictures before it disappeared.
I changed transport mode by swapping train for tram to get between West and East stations. Croydon was buzzing – in more ways than one as the smell of Ganga permeated the air around the bus station and tram stop! Although life’s returned to the streets the number of shops that were vacant told a story of commerce crippled by Covid. My flirtation with trams was brief. The solid grey skies made photography unattractive so I took a spin on the Caterham branch instead and recce’d potential photo spots for tomorrow. As the weather worsened I decided to abandon picture taking for now and check out another local line, the line out to Tattenham Corner. At least i’d be dry, warm and doing something useful. I’d returned to East Croydon to change trains. Swapping between platforms using the footbridge with the spectacularly useless roof that doesn’t actually keep out the rain! Whoever designed the damned thing had never heard the expression “form follows function”.
Right now I’m sitting on a train which is splitting at Purley. The front 5 cars go to Caterham and the rear 5 to Tattenham Corner
18:10.
I’ll write up my first trip on the Tattenham branch later. Sadly, the weather was awful so there wasn’t much for the camera to do but stay dry. I’m now at Victoria after changing trains at East Croydon yet again. It was a nice, quiet train (not). Now remember, this is ‘rush-hour’ and supposedly we’re going against the flow, but Croydon has an orbit of its own nowadays…
God, are we really half-way through March already? Where did the time go? It’s certainly been a tumultuous month so far what with the tragic and appalling events in the Ukraine and the knock-on effects around Europe and across the world. Just as we thought the planet was starting to recover from the unprecedented Covid pandemic we’re thrown back into death and uncertainty – along with a hefty economic hit.
Due to various events I’d really been looking forward to the idea of being able to get abroad again and had my eyes on Sri Lanka. So, today I checked the exchange rate. Sterling’s not been doing terribly well recently so you can imagine my surprise when I saw that compared to the other currencies I watch the Pound was up 27% against the Rupee. To give you an idea, last time I was in the country in January 2016 a pound was valued at 204 Rupees. It’s now at 356.
This made me do some digging. Apparently, the Rupee is being ‘adjusted’ due to economic hits which include a 40% rise in fuel costs and the collapse of the country’s foreign currency reserves due to Covid and the absence of foreign tourists – a situation that’s not going to improve as the No3 on the incoming visitors list was…Russia.
Even so, the country is an attractive destination as they’ve relaxed many Covid restrictions – making it easier to visit – and they need foreign currency. OK, there’s problems with various shortages but after living in post Brexit Britain the absence of stuff on supermarket shelves is more than made up for by the beaches! Besides, I’m not a fussy eater and I’m desperate to get away for some R&R and beach time.
Oh, there’s another attraction. Sri Lanka has the most amazing railway system. In some areas it’s still pure Victorian colonial, in others it’s modern, having been rebuilt after the terrible civil war. Oh, there’s a few modern Chinese multiple units taking over, but the infrastructure (especially the signaling) is out of another era and incredibly photogenic – especially in the hill country where the railway weaves its way through the tea plantations. Of course, it’s not going to last forever – just as it hasn’t in countries like Malaysia who’re spending huge sums dragging their railways into the 21st century. Thailand is too – and even India (the mother of all rail systems) is allocating vast amounts of capital to their rail budgets. So, today’s picture is one from my last trip to Sri Lanka back in 2016.
This is Haputale, in the hill country seen on the 17th January 2016. A German built diesel-hydraulic loco has called with a train from Badulla to Kandy whilst clouds swirl around the town which is perched on a ridge between two valleys 1431 meters above sea-level.
You can find many more pictures from this trip (and they’re not all railways – promise!) here.
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/
With the anti HS2 campaign on its last legs and with only one ‘protection’ camp left (that’s due to be evicted any day now), the kids at HS2Rebellion are having a tough time of trying to stay relevant. It’s clear to all but their most die-hard supporters they’re a busted flush, which is why I rarely blog about them nowadays. The simple fact is – there’s not a lot going on and nothing worth mentioning. However, they’ve now come up with something so stunningly stupid and hypocritical that I couldn’t resist pointing it out.
Meet ‘Satchel’. Not his real name of course – that’s William Harewood. He’s been failing to stop HS2 for several years now. He’s one of the few long-term activists who hasn’t disappeared and keeps popping back up. He was involved in the useless Wendover camp tunnel and several other stunts over the years. He was on Crown Court bail for his involvement in the Jones’ Hill wood eviction back in October 2020 but decided to ignore that fact and popped up at the Bluebell wood camp in Staffordshire where he was one of a handful of people involved in a pointless trespass stunt on a nearby HS2 site and was identified.
Bad move.
Such a blatant breach of his bail conditions meant that a warrant was issued for his arrest – and arrested he was. The Judge hearing his case agreed to his being remanded – logical as he’d shown contempt of court by ignoring his bail conditions. He’s now in HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire awaiting his hearing.
The expression ‘bang to rights’ springs to mind here, but HS2Rebellion have decided that – despite the fact they’re always whining about anything and everything to do with HS2 being ‘illegal’ the law doesn’t actually apply to them, or ‘Satchel’. What’s more, they’ve now decided that – because ‘Satchel’ is a person of colour, they’re going to play the race card. Yep, ignore the fact he flagrantly ignored his bail conditions. The police nicked him ‘cos of his skin colour – honest! It was absolutely nothing to do with anything else – oh no!
That all Hs2rebellion are doing is playing into the hands of racists hasn’t even entered their heads. They’re so self-righteous (and desperate) they’ll try anything, no matter how dumb. They’re so far through the looking glass they’ll ignore the obvious contradictions here (you’re seriously suggesting it’s racist to uphold the law and that the law doesn’t apply to POC?) yet their dwindling pool of supporters fall for it. They staged a yet another pointless stunt outside the prison today.
Whilst they’re wasting their time outside a prison, who’s meant to be stopping HS2?
Ironic that – whilst HS2rebellion try and play the race card they ignore the far more numerous claims of sexual harassment and abuse from their own supporters – women who’ve been involved in the protests and lived at the camps. But then that doesn’t fit with their narrative. Either way. ‘Satchel’ is about to find out that the Judge is more interested in his contempt for the law than his skin colour – and HS2 ‘rebellion’ will continue to fall apart. Once the ‘Bluebell’ camp is evicted, that’s it. Let’s face it, the idea that you’re going to stop the largest construction project in Europe when you can’t even close off access to a single site compound is definitely ‘Looney Tunes’ territory!
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/
It’s been a funny old day. Having started it spending a few hours working from home I had to head over to Milnsbridge in the Colne valley so I decided to give myself plenty of time to do it by a mix of walking and public transport.
The first leg involved a pleasent stroll into Halifax in fine spring-like weather which really lifted the spirits. Sadly, the Halifax – Huddersfield train service was cut back to 2-hourly on January 6th, so I had plenty of time to enjoy a wander around the town centre and explore the Piece Hall before catching the 11:50. Unfortunately, the spring-like weather was blown away by rising winds, leaving me under-dressed and rather chilly! At least the train was warm. I’m not a fan of Class 150s but today I was happy to see one arrive.
I arrived at Huddersfield in plenty of time to walk to Milnsbridge. Cutting through the centre of town I headed for the Huddersfield narrow canal to walk the towpath West. Well, that was a disappointment after being used to walking my local canal. The route of the Huddersfield narrow is an absolute shit-tip. You couldn’t go more than a few metres without finding fly-tipping as people slung stuff down the canal banks from the adjacent roads. Talk about depressing. It was only when I got within sniffing distance of Milnsbridge that things improved. Detritus and derelict mills gave way to new canal side housing estates and at least a modicum of civic pride.
Appointment over I had to hot-foot it back to Halifax for another engagement. First off was a bus to Huddersfield which was fine even if I’d never done it before – thanks to the Google Maps app on my phone. It was only when I got back to Huddersfield I started to chafe. I’ve never used the bus station before but it wasn’t a bad experience. In fact I must get pictures sometime as it’s in the same iconic design mould as Preston bus station. My issue was the bus back to Halifax was 15 minutes late and I was due to be meeting with a group of compatriots to scatter a friends ashes.
The bus turned up eventually, but queuing at Huddersfield was an interesting experience – because no-one does. Bill Bryson once wrote that the British would have been so much better at Communism than the Russians ‘cos we knew how to queue. It seems those days are long-gone. OK, my timing wasn’t great as I ended up travelling at the same time as students who’d knocked off from college, but that was an interesting lesson in itself. They don’t queue. They sidle up to the front, assuming no-one will challenge them. Mind you, so did one young woman with a pram who barged her way to the front of the queue despite the obvious fact another woman was there before here. When I finally got on the bus and made my way to the top deck there were few seats available so I pissed off a young girl who’d spread across two so that her feet and her bag could have the other one but I had the (polite) audacity to tell her to shift ’em! I’m confused. When did young people become so entitled? I’m not claiming that we were angels when I was a kid back in the 1970s, but even so. Is this just me realising the tables have turned and I was once that teenager?
My reason for hastening back was that a group of us had arranged to get together to scatter our old friend Tony Allen‘s ashes. Thankfully I made it on time and we rendezvoused in his garden to carry out the mission before ending up in the Big 6 pub. It’s what he would have wanted! Tony’s 70th birthday would have been yesterday so it was a fitting time. The deed done we all made our way to the Big 6 in order to eat home-made cake, pork pie and drink beer as a fitting tribute to the man.
I’m now back at home, but I’ll leave you with this picture. Tony’s ashes-scattering was a private event, but here’s the beers with which we toasted both his birthday and his departure afterwards. For a change – none of them were his…
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/
As it’s been announced that Southern will be retiring its BR built Class 455 units by the end of the year I thought I’d compile a picture gallery of the trains in use over the past 20-odd years, first with the late unlamented ‘Connex’ franchise and then with Southern which has run the service since August 2001 after buying Connex out of the last 2 years of its franchise (which Govia as winning bidder was originally going to operate from 2003). Originally run as Govia South Central the franchise began to repaint trains in the distinctive white and green livery in 2001 but didn’t introduce the ‘Southern’ brand and logo until 2003. It’s remained ever since even tho’ Southern were absorbed into the huge Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise in July 2015.
The 455s were built from 1982 onwards but the first units didn’t appear on the South-Central network until 1986 after Selhurst depot had been modified to cope with the new trains. Their career’s lasted 36 years but sets are already standing idle on a daily basis as not all 46 trains are needed to run the current timetable.
The Southern sets look very different to their South-Western sisters. Between 2004-06 the trains were refurbished by Alstom at Eastleigh works. As well as internal work the nose-end doors were removed and replaced with a revised front end that incorporates cab air-conditioning. A new light cluster also changed their appearance. Unlike the SWR refurbishment the passenger doors weren’t altered, which leaves the Southern sets with the old cramped arrangement.
Here’s a look back over their lives. Please note. All the pictures are my copyright…
Here’s Wandsworth Common station on the 26th June 2001 with units 5809 and 5830 standing in the platform in the days when the trains regularly worked to Leatherhead.5812 is seen entering Purley station with a service to Smitham on the 16th July 2001. On the same day as the last picture Connex liveried 5818 waits at South Croydon with a service bound for London Bridge. 5815 seen at Streatham Common on the 16th July 2001 with a Caterham service. Only 16 out of the fleet of 46 ever received Connex yellow livery. Unit 5823 in full NSE livery minus branding stands at Sydenham on the 15th June 1997. Connex had taken over the franchise in October 1996 but were slow in branding their trains. The destination blinds indicate this is a service to Charing Cross, another place the 455s aren’t seen at anymore. Here’s 5833 and 5825 both on Victoria – East Croydon services passing just outside Wandsworth Common station on the 26th June 2001. Both units are in original condition.
The Southern years.
On the 2nd April 2014 class leader 455801 pulls out of Victoria with an unknown service. The modified front end with the air-conditioning unit in place of the gangway doors is evident, as are the revised headlight clusters. A sight that’s changed out of all recognition since this shot was taken on the 12th November 2010. Here’s 455803 at the old London Bridge station. On the 1st September 2008. 455804 gets a wash and brush-up at the carriage wash plant at Selhurst depot – although the plant is far closer to Norwood Jn station (in the background) than it is the depot. 455810 emerges from the highly decorative tunnel at Tulse Hill on the 14th June 2012.The classic view of the approaches to Victoria – although the background has changed enormously since this view of 455824 arriving at the terminus was taken on the 30th April 2003. 455827 traverses the viaducts on the approach to London Bridge on the 8th March 2008. Another part of London where the skyline backdrop’s changed dramatically. On the 1st December 2008 units 455828 and 455836 pass outside Clapham Junction station. 455830 calls at West Norwood station in South London on the 1st September 2008. In the background the Crystal Palace TV transmitter dominates the skyline. 455831 is framed by one of the old Southern Railway concrete signal gantries at it arrives at Honor Oak Park on the 19th July 2010.455834 leaves Horsham and returns to London on the 11th November 2015.455839 stands at West Croydon station on the 20th April 2010.The first unit to appear in the new livery was 455841 which is seen working the 14.53 to Victoria at Dorking on the 22nd October 2001. 455843 speeds through Penge West on the fast lines on the 1st September 2008.The last of the Southern units. 455846 sits on the reverse curves at Clapham Junction station on the 3rd March 2010.
Here’s a comparison between the unmodified doors on the Southern sets compared to the rebuilt (and this wider) doors on the SWR 455s.
Note the poles on the opposite side to the open door that show the limit the doors open to. This can be seen with the open doors and how far they protrude into the available opening. Here’s the SWR rebuild.No poles and rebuilt runners without the protruding stops which mean the doors fit further into the unit body, allowing for a wider door. A far batter arrangement.
If you want to view (or buy) more pictures of the Southern 455s you can find them in these galleries.
It’s worth mentioning that the ‘Part-time Spotter’ WordPress blog is currently posting the daily allocations and diagrams of the Southern 455 fleet, so if you want to track and trace any particular members or travel on them before they disappear, give them a follow at this link.
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/
It’s a short blog from me today as the vast majority of my time’s been spent glued to a computer screen, sifting through and editing all the pictures that I’ve taken over the past few days as various clients are chasing me for them. In this line of work you get very little notice of jobs and when they’re done – everyone wants the results yesterday!
That said, after a few days running around I wasn’t too averse to a day or two sat at home. Admittedly, I’d been spoiled with the catering arrangements with being away and the novelty of eating other people’s well prepared food and the one luxury I enjoy when away – a full English breakfast! The odd thing is I never miss such things when I’m travelling abroad, it’s purely a parochial delight to be savored this side of the Channel. Anyways, tomorrow’s another busy day so let’s cut straight to the picture of the day which was taken on my recent trip to explore Crossrail – sorry – the Elizabeth line…
We were given the opportunity to explore the new station at Liverpool St which has a rather interesting history. Like most of modern London it’s built on the site of something else. In this case it’s Bedlam and I mean that literally as this glass panel on one of the levels explains.
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/
It’s a sunny but chilly day here in Nottingham and we’re all getting ready for day 2 of the Community Rail Network annual conference. I’ll be photographing/blogging through the day before heading home after the conference finishes later this afternoon….
09:15.
We’ve kicked off with a briefing on the new Great Britain Railways structure and plans from Sarah Williams, Community Rail Lead, GBR Transition team.
09:35.
Now we have CRNs Deputy Chief Executive Brian Barnsley talking about the growth of CRN and the challenges for the future.
10:00 following the first talks there was a busy and active Q&A session. Here’s Maisie Axon from Siemens Mobility posing one.
It’s 11:45 and the conference has broken up into three workshops to discuss ‘planning in uncertain times’. There’s been some really interesting discussions but it’s not all been doom and gloom by any means as can be seen by this light-hearted suggestion board and picture of CRN’s Denise Havard at one of the workshops.
15:30.
The conference is now over for another year. It’s been a great event and I’ll add a few more pictures later. Right now I’m beginning the trek back to Yorkshire after bidding adieu to some old community rail friends who decided to wait for their train at the Micropub on the station which is located in the old wooden taxi office on the South side of the building. I’m taking the ‘scenic’ route via the Robin Hood line to Worksop in order to do some photographic reconnaissance. I’ve not taken pictures along the central and Northern sections for many a year so this was a good opportunity to have a look. My chariot is another ex-Scotrail 3-car Class 170 and it’s well loaded.
The first section of the line proper parallels the NET tram system which provides an interesting contrast in transport modes.
15:51.
After a delay caused by the fact the line’s single-track towards Hucknall so we had to wait for a Southbound service to clear the section we finally reached Hucknall where the tram tracks end. Now we’re on our own over old railway infrastructure that’s a shadow of its former self due to de-industrialisation and the mass closure of colleries. That said, the line hits a bit of a rural oasis after escaping Hucknall’s clutches. Well, until we hit Newstead – formerly called Newstead Colliery Village where the proliferation of Silver Birch trees (the first coloniser of old industrial sites) tells a tale.
16:03.
There’s not much to see at Kirby-In-Ashfield where a line trails on from the left and we’re back on double track, because the station’s situated in a cutting. At Sutton Parkway, the station’s sat in the middle of an modern industrial estate but at least it provides more passengers.
The shift between new housing. industrial dereliction and pockets of green continued as far as Mansfield where the the original station stone built building survives on the Worksop platform. Nothing original survives on the opposite side – and I’m not just talking about the station! The town’s undergone various phases of redevelopment and not all look successful or aesthetic!
16:15.
We’ve arrived at Mansfield Woodhouse which used to see Robin Hood services terminate. The old goods shed was converted to provide shelter for trains which used a spur off the main line. Now only a few peak hour services from Nottingham end their journeys here.
At Shirebrook an original building survives as a ‘business centre’ but the fans of sidings and old locomotive depot that serviced coal trains are long gone. Only the old Midland Railway signalbox that guards Shirebrook Jn lives to tell the (much quieter) tale…
Now the line becomes rural once again until it hits Cresswell where we encounter semaphore signals a very derelict and abandoned old station building and a new(ish) basic station just to the North of the original. There’s even an ancient wooden-post semaphore signal here, a rare survivor nowadays.
I’m beginning to regret not having brought my rail atlas. This section of line’s unfamiliar so trying to piece together the railway’s geography is difficult. Where did some of these severed sidings and abandoned lines go to or serve? I’ve no idea…
19:10.
Sorry – another break in the narrative as I was too busy in the real world! Approaching Worksop was fun as the still-extant sidings that once used to be full of coal wagons now have a very different purpose. Rail businessman Harry Needle has leased them from Network Rail and invested millions in re-fettling them and making the sites secure. They’re an ideal vehicle storage centre and there’s plenty of stuff needing his services for a variety of reasons. My train passed off-lease LNER Mk3 loco-hauled coaches, a variety of off-lease Class 321 EMUs, plus brand new Alstom (formerly Bombardier) Class 701 and 720 trains waiting to go to the TOCs that ordered them. There’s also a few heritage locos and coaches, plus a brace of Class 92 electric locos up on jacks as they’re sans bogies. It’s a very surreal sight.
I had chance to mull this over whilst I had a pint in ‘The Mallard’ the friendly, cosy little pub on the station where I spent a pleasant time chatting to people before getting my train North-Westwards…
I’m now heading for Leeds on a Northern Class 158 from Lincoln. The train’s been busy throughout the trip, firstly to Sheffield, but now on the way to Leeds. We had a crew-change at Sheffield and the young woman who took over as conductor is excellent. She’s not afraid of the intercom or public speaking. Her explanation of why we’re late (tresspassers) was spot on and struck just the right note.
21:59.
I’m now back at home and lounging with a beer before hitting the sack. Today’s been a fascinating and diverse one that’s left me with lots of pictures to edit and words to process – starting first thing tomorrow morning. But, I’ll leave you with one last picture from yesterday’s trip on Crossrail now that the embargo’s expired. Here’s a driver’s eye view of the new railway seen from the cab of a Bombardier built Class 345 as the train’s sat at the platform at Paddington. I don’t know about you, but having spent a lot of time in modern train cabs there’s one thing that really catches my eye. It’s the Screwfix style 3-pin plug socket above the driver’s head!
Paul Bigland 