Another day of Parliamentary paralysis, high drama and low farce.

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by in Brexit, Politics

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Remember the days when Parliament used to do something useful, like scrutinise legislation, talk about important things pass legislation and stuff? No. Me neither. For the past three and a half years the place has been turned into a circus thanks to Brexit and the impossibility of delivering the lies it was based on whilst still pretending the Unicorns are real, if only we just ‘believed’ harder. Now we have paralysis in Government, where billions of pounds have been wasted trying to deliver the undeliverable and prepare for the unthinkable – a ‘no deal’ Brexit. Now the tragi-comedy has entered a new phase with the appointment of the bouffant buffoon as Prime Minister. He’s transformed the Cabinet in to a Brexiters wet-dream. It’s packed with hardliners and he’s surrounded by the ‘great minds’ of the Leave campaign. But he has one huge and insurmountable problem. He can’t make a lie true.

Brexiters never had a plan. They never expected to win, so they never thought they’d need one. They’ve spent decades dreaming about leaving the EU but never worked out a plan to make a success of doing so if they ever got the chance. Now they have, and it’s a shambles and it’s getting worse.

Brexiters always loved blaming other people to cover up for the lack of a plan. The latest wheeze was to say Brexit couldn’t be delivered because a ‘Remainer’ (Teresa May) was in charge and ‘remainers’ held cabinet posts. It was all bollocks of course, and how big a pair of cojones it was is becoming painfully obvious as Johnson flounders. His only successes have been to alienate many in his own party, start #StopTheCoup demonstrations the length and breadth of the country and make Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour front bench start to look vaguely electable. Who would have thought that we would see former Tory ‘Big Beast’ and Father of the House, Ken Clark MP thrown out of the Tory party, not to mention Winston Churchill’s grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames? Meanwhile, other moderate Tory MPs like Justine Greening have announced they’re standing down at the next election. In his overweening personal ambition, Johnson’s turned the Tory party into the Brexit party. His only ambition is to win an election before the car-crash that is a no-deal Brexit hits. Could he still do it? Possibly. The fat lady’s not yet sung and the farce continues in Parliament throughout today.

Yesterday parliament defeated Johnson and voted to take control of proceedings. Today there will be a vote to take a no-deal Brexit off the table and extend article 50 until January. Johnson wants to call an election now, but he needs a 2/3 majority of MPs to allow it. I can only pray they vote for the former and reject the latter. Let Johnson own his mess. He fell apart in Parliament last night. His normal comedy act and blithe lies don’t play well in Parliament. One of the MPs who exposed him for what he is was the former Tory Chancellor, Philip Hammond, who neatly skewered Johnson with his own lie that talks with the EU were ‘progressing’ and he’d be able to deliver a new deal. To add to the farce, as he was speaking, his Parliamentary majority in the shape of Dr Philip Lee MP got up, walked across the floor of the house and joined the Lib-Dem benches. It was a wonderful moment to watch!

There’s a sense that even some of those who backed Johnson are now starting to realise that he’s unfit for office. His performance last night was not one of a leader nor a statesman. He was woeful. He blustered, he lied and he refused to answer straight questions. It didn’t get any better, The oleaginous Jacob Rees Mogg provoked both fury (and later mirth) for the contemptuous way he draped himself across the Tory front bench. Here’s one of the wits responses on Twitter earlier today!

Sometime late this evening the next chapter of this farce will close, hopefully with a vote that will agree to take a ‘no-deal’ Brexit off the table. But that’s not the end of the story. Not by a long chalk. This shambles is going to drag on for years yet. This is just volume 1. At this rate it could compete in size with the Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Even if/when we leave the EU, we have years of trying to make good the damage to our economy, our ability to trade, our world standing and our fractured country. Is it any wonder more and more people are wanting to leave? Not the EU, but the UK…

HS2. Opening dates extended and the budget’s revised, but nothing’s been cut.

03 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in Allan Cook, Railways

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As widely trailed in the media, today, the Chairman of Hs2 Ltd, Allan Cook has published his report and advice about the deliverability of Hs2. You can find the report here. Despite much of the media speculation and froth on social media, the report contains no surprises. The review has looked at what’s been happening since the project was first launched back in 2009 and updated plans in the light of events. It’s no admission of failure, merely a pragmatic response to changes in circumstances due to a whole range of issues. It’s also taken on board valuable lessons from the difficulties at Crossrail and other major projects. There’s little that’s new. For example, the question of extending the construction timetable was suggested quite some time ago by the National Audit Office.

Here’s some of the more important points from it.

“As such (HS2) is an integral part of the plans of Transport for the North, Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and Midlands Connect, providing 50% of the new lines needed by NPR. However, the scale and the complexity of the task, as well as the transformational benefits it will deliver for the country and its regions were under-estimated in the original business case.
The original plans did not take sufficient account of the compound effect of building a high-speed line through a more densely populated country with more difficult topography than elsewhere – and doing so whilst complying with higher environmental standards.
Equally, the existing cost/benefit model, which was designed for smaller scale schemes, has proved inadequate in capturing the full transformational effect of HS2, particularly on changing land values. This transformation is already being demonstrated in Birmingham.
Therefore, the budget and target schedule for the programme have proved unrealistic, while at the same time the benefits have been understated”.

Cook goes on to say that..

“Phase One from Birmingham to London is already under way and should be completed as planned. HS2 conducts its business as a cost-conscious organisation with value for money playing a huge factor in decision-making. Though much work has been done to date to drive down costs through independent reviews and pilot studies, the cost is likely to rise from £27bn1 to a range of £36bn to £38bn; and the target delivery date of December 2026 should become a more realistic, manageable and cost effective staged opening between 2028 and 2031.
Phase 2a, from Birmingham to Crewe, is currently near the end of its legislative process in Parliament. That process should be completed and amalgamated with Phase One and delivered to the same timescale. Its cost is likely to rise from £3.5bn to a range between £3.6bn and £4.0bn”

So, phase 1 and 2a will open together. And phase 2b?

“The hybrid Bill for Phase 2b running from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds is currently being prepared and is, therefore, the least mature of the Phases. Given its early stage and its essential role in delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail, Transport for the North and Midlands Connect, there is an opportunity to fully integrate the plans for each region and deliver them in smaller, more manageable sections as part of a rolling programme of investment in the Midlands and the North. In line with the experience of Phase One, the cost of Phase 2b is likely to rise from £28.6bn to a range of £32bn to £36bn with target delivery moving from 2033 to between 2035 and 2040″.

Moving on beyond the executive summary there’s some very interesting details in the report. What’s now proposed is the have a phase 1 ‘soft opening’ where trains will be run as a captive service, staying on Hs2 metals and not running onto Network Rail tracks.

“The target date for Phase One services is set at December 2026 in the Development Agreement, with Baseline 6.1 (described on page 17 below) introducing the concept of staged opening (3 trains per hour (tph) between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street in December 2026 and 10tph between Euston and the North West in December 2027).
The staged opening approach, with an initial captive service with no interaction with the existing rail network, follows good practice of introducing services gradually and minimising integration risks while operational experience and reliability are built up. As a captive service, this can be introduced when the systems are ready and proven (a “soft start”) and does not require a change to national timetables“

One of the reasons for postponing the opening date is keeping costs down on embankment building, as the report explains.

“allowing additional time for ground settlement in preference to costly ground stabilisation prior to installation of high-precision concrete slab track” (pge 15).

The report goes on to mention that one of the reasons for the extension of the opening date of phase 2b is the Parliamentary timetable.

“The opening of the full HS2 “Y” network was considered, in 2014, achievable in around 2033. As well as being a long-term forecast, this was based on Royal Assent by 2020 for a Phase Two hybrid Bill.
In Baseline 1, Royal Assent was to be in October 2022 (with Bill deposit in September 2019). And in the emerging schedule, Royal Assent is set at Dec 2023 (based on a Bill deposit in June 2020).”

Yet again, this is just a pragmatic view and reflection of events in the real world. So, what about all those crazy figures that we’ve seen thrown around by opponents of the project? Is the cost of Hs2 really estimated at £100bn now? No. It’s between £72.1bn to £78.4bn (pge 33).

There’s a lot else in the report, which needs to be read in detail, but it produces some interesting figures, although a lot of sensitive commercial detail is (of course) redacted. How important Hs2 is to the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail is made clear in this observation.

“Elements of the HS2 design incorporate several NPR touchpoints. NPR could use c.80km of HS2 lines into Manchester and Leeds as part of its current designs. This represents more than 50% of the total new lines needed for NPR” (pge 38).

When Hs2 was first conceived, NPR didn’t even exist, so it’s hardly surprising that phase 2b is being reconsidered in the light of what’s now happening in the North. Yes, the delays can be considered frustrating, but the important thing is to get the two projects properly integrated and get it right.

There’s also some new points, such as this, which suggests HS2 are looking at the possibility of reducing the number of platforms they need at Euston. Notice reduce, not scrap going to Euston!

“The project teams are also considering whether reducing the project’s physical footprint in certain locations is feasible, for example at Euston”. (pge 41).

There’s a lot to go at in the report, so this is just me picking out the highlights and a few snippets. What conclusions can we draw from the report? I’d suggest it gives those opposed to the project very little ammunition that they’ve not already fired at HS2. Yes, the timescale has changed. Yes, it will cost more in the light of changes and the famous Harold Macmillan quote about “events, dear boy, events”! One thing the report does is what I suggested in my comment piece in the latest copy of RAIL magazine. “If not Hs2, then what”? Because the report makes crystal clear the need for Hs2 which is something those opposed to it always try and ignore. Also, nothing has been suggested to be cut. Not Euston, nor the Leeds leg, both of which have been speculated upon at length.

The report spells out the headache for Boris Johnson. What could he cut? The answer is – nothing that makes sense.

Cut phase 1? Then you leave the West Coast Main Line with sclerosis. The project’s already ready to go so you cause a lot of pain across the construction sector and send entirely the wrong message about UK competitiveness and capability. Oh, and without pause 1 there’s no point in building phase 2 as there’s nowhere to run the trains to as the WCMLs full and Birmingham Curzon St is part of phase 1!

Scrap phase 2? Ah, but as the report points out, mode than half of NPR track is actually HS2! Reneging on very public commitments to the North would go down like a cup of cold sick! Nor would you be helping to rebalance the economy, so that’s not going to go down well either.

Cancel either of them and you can throw your international commitments to tackle climate change out of the window too!

Mind you, as I write this it seems the Tories have just lost their Parliamentary majority, so Johnson may have other things on his mind!

No doubt this report will set the tone of the Oakervee review of HS2. I expect it to be endorsed by the real players on that committee, who will be asking exactly the same question I have. I’ve no doubt Hs2’s detractors will try to make hay out of the report. It’s likely at least one well-known rail commentator will stick the word “damning” in front of the word report, but in truth it’s anything but. It’s an honest look at the difficulties and challenges of building such a major infrastructure project in the 21st century. Now let’s see what the Oakervee review comes up with…


I don’t like Mondays…

02 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in Brexit, Musings, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Well, ones like this where the weather’s been miserable, I’ve been stuck at home collating vast numbers of pictures for a client and I’m watching my country slowly implode both economically and politically. Apart from that it’s been just fine!

Exciting as life is as a photographer, the wading through loads of library images to upload onto a client’s website is the least glamorous side of the job – even if it’s crucial. It’s monotonous and takes time as well as commands attention to detail. I suppose I should be grateful that the weather’s been so iffy so I’ve not been tempted to venture forth with the camera. The seasons really do feel like they’re starting to change up here in West Yorkshire. The nights are noticeably drawing in and the autumn chill is starting to creep in on the tail of shorter days.

My distraction would normally be to have the radio on, but the news bulletins are so depressing as they report on our increasingly dysfunctional Government and its suicide mission to deliver a ‘no deal’ Brexit, thus crippling the economy and trashing our reputation with the rest of the world – who already think we’re mad. That so many of my fellow countrymen think that Johnson’s threat to leave the EU without a deal is actually a threat the EU take seriously says a lot about the state of the UK nowadays. If someone’s holding a gun to their own head and threatening to pull the trigger anyone with an ounce of common-sense knows that there’s only going to be one result. Sadly, common-sense left these shores in 2016 and it looks like it has no intention of returning.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are caught up in this absolute farce as the Tory party morphs into the Brexit party, minus that lying, slimy toad Farage. Instead, they have their other poster boy, Boris – a man who’s relationship with the truth is just as divorced as Farage’s. This is not going to end well…

My only hope is that enough members of all political parties remember where they’ve left their backbones and put country before party. In the meantime, we’re in for a very rocky ride.

Right now, I have other considerations. I’ve finished uploading a batch of pictures to the client’s website and now my attention’s drawn to the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen where Dawn’s busy baking biscuits to take into the ACoRP staff meeting tomorrow. I may be gone some time…

September already? Shit – where’s the year gone?

01 Sunday Sep 2019

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Here we are, the first day of September and only three weeks to go before autumn. Can I ask, who nicked the summer? We didn’t really get one up here in West Yorkshire. Sure, we had a few scattered, sunny days – but nothing that equates to those summers of memory (or even last year) where you know you could rely on the weather to be consistent. Here’s an example. Back in July, when I was judging the ACoRP awards we had a Friday where the trains were delayed by buckling rails because of the heat, yet the following Monday we were suffering problems because of torrential rain and flooding! August was much the same. The climate is changing, it’s becoming harder to predict and much more extreme. Of course, we’re going to get the usual right-wingers and conspiracy theorists tell you it’s all down to sun-spots or the fanciful bollocks that we’re actually entering a new ice-age and the planets actually cooling but none of them will address the fact that we constantly hit new temperature records.

This is the problem with living in a post-truth world where people can stand up with a straight face and tell you that they’re talking about ‘alternative facts’. Imagine, we live in a world where – thanks to those handy little smartphones most of us carry – we can check almost any fact and use our intellects and education to work out when we’re being lied to. Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work anyway.

The Brexitshambles is a classic example of this and also how the narrative can change and yet so many people never realise and blindly follow the new message like sheep. Back in 2016 the Brexiters swore that if we left the EU we would be going into a new ‘Golden age’. The EU was holding us back, but anyway, ‘Johnny Foreigner’ would soon fold when we showed them that we meant business. Here’s some of the bullshit people lapped up.

Can any Brexiter who insists that they knew what they were voting for explain how we’ve gone from this to the Tory Government now preparing to crash out of the EU without a deal with all the consequences that will bring? How have we gone from David Davis saying there’s only ‘upsides’ to Boris Johnson saying that at least we’ll still have Mars Bars and clean water?

At what point are Brexiters going to admit they’ve been conned? That this country is on a suicide course for no other reason than a bunch of media moguls, disaster capitalists, spivs with Belizean diplomatic passports and the head-banging wing of the Tory party have manipulated them? Name a single benefit of Brexit – and don’t you dare tell me it’s about democracy when you’re calling half of the country ‘traitors’ and suspending Parliament so that you crash us out of the EU without a deal.

Whatever happens the UK is fractured. The ‘united’ kingdom was always an uneasy alliance. Now it’s looking like it won’t survive English exceptionalism and their contempt for foreigners – which includes long-standing issues with the other elements of the Union: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It seems that anything can be thrown under the wheels of the Brexit bus as long as they keep turning.

Saturday bits and bobs.

31 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in Abandoned railways, Railways, West Yorkshire

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I’m having another rare day at home catching up on chores and a spot of picture editing, mostly of images that don’t fit the main gallery categories on my website and need a bit of research first. Some of these were taken earlier in the week around Mirfield in West Yorkshire. Like many people involved in railways I have a curiosity about the many lines that closed during my childhood or even before I was born. Yorkshire’s rich in such lines and Mirfield has quite a few remains. One I spotted was what’s left of the Spen valley line which lasted a little over 50 years, opening in 1900 and closing in November 1966 although it lost its passenger services as early as 1953. Built by the LNWR it ran from Heaton Lodge Junction through Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton to Farnley Junction and on into Leeds City station. You can find out more about it on this very good website, ‘Mirfield memories’. Here’s what I found.

The site of Battyeford station which was built straddling the Huddersfield Rd. This is the North side.
The view looking in the opposite direction to the first picture. Part of the viaduct remains as many of the arches are occupied by commercial premises.
The opposite end of the viaduct where the railway crossed the River Calder on a steel bridge. Behind me is the line from Huddersfield to Dewsbury which is still operational.
The Spen valley line came off to the left just on front of this Class 185 which is approaching Heaton Lodge Junction.

If you’re interested in abandoned or disused railways there’s a gallery dedicated to them on my Zenfolio website. You can find it by following this link.

I’d love to have more time to spend to explore West Yorkshire’s railway heritage, but there’s little time for that as most of my time’s taken up with the modern, growing railway rather than the remains of a contracting one. That said, Dawn and I are hoping to get out on the bikes to explore several that are close to us which have been converted into some excellent cycle-paths. I first got to know about several of them when I explored them by bike for an article in RAIL magazine. One of their writers and I were given a guided tour on Brompton bikes by a couple of Sustrans officers and I’ve always meant to revisit the places and infrastructure we saw. Some of the viaducts, tunnels and cuttings were really impressive, especially around Heckmondwike, Dewsbury and Queensbury. But as the year is rapidly moving on, that may have to wait until next year!

That Friday feeling.

30 Friday Aug 2019

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Today’s been one where I’ve been going nowhere fast. It’s not involved a single train – unless you count editing pictures of them. Instead I’ve been able to enjoy being at home, listening to the wind howling outside which has blown many of my pot plants over whilst I’ve sat inside and edited pictures, sorted out paperwork and caught up on all those bits and bobs you can’t always do when you’re never in one place for more than a couple of hours. The pictures I’ve taken over the past few days mean that my Zenfolio website’s now passed the 60,000 pictures mark. You can view them here. You can also buy prints, which start at a very reasonable £1.28. Here’s a couple of examples.

One of the new TPE ‘Nova 3’ sets hauled by a Class 68 calls at Leeds on its way to Scarborough.
Some of the wonderful old tiles in the ‘Draughtsman’ pub on Doncaster station. It’s small, but beautifully formed – and it has a great selection of beers.

Our cat (Jet) has taken my continual presence as confirmation that he’s got food and attention on tap. You think kids have ‘pester power’? That’s nothing compared to a black cat. As soon as he knew I wasn’t sloping off out of the front door he thought ‘gotcha’ and treated me as his personal Butler, but I don’t mind as it’s lovely to still have the old boy (he’s 18) around.

By the end of the day I was getting a little bog-eyed and stir crazy so I ended up in our local pub, the Big 6, to partake of the Friday quiz and catch up with friends that we haven’t seen for a while because we’ve been so busy and haven’t been around as we were in Ireland. Dawn joined me after work and we had a lovely couple of hours relaxing, joking and answering daft questions. We also had the opportunity to plan some new adventures for the ‘Big 6 on tour’. We’ve got Belgium coming up soon, but there’s more fun and games in the pipeline…

Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy the weekend. Social media can be left to itself whilst the pair of us enjoy some escapism from the real world and enjoy a film. The same shit will still be there in the morning.

Rolling blog: London return…

29 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in London, New trains, Northern Rail, Rail Investment, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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07:45.

Today’s start is a little earlier than yesterday. There’s been no trees down on the road either! Instead I’ve strolled the mile and a half into Halifax and caught Northern’s 08:42 to Leeds. I’m being spoiled today as it’s worked by a pair of 2 car 158s with my unit being one of the fully refurbished ones that has the new style seats and USB sockets – luxury!

The train’s surprisingly quiet but I’m not sure if this is due to the fact it’s still the holiday season or the fact we’ve a 25-50% increase in capacity compared to what we would have had 2-3 years ago. Thos who like to snipe at railways in the North (yes, you Andy Burnham) would do well to remember just how many new or cascaded vehicles Northern’s been able to add to its fleet over the past few years.

I’m en-route to Leeds as I’m returning to London for part of the day to finish a commission, meet up with a colleague and also bag a few more library shots before heading North again to hopefully catch up with another friend and colleague in York, so I’ve a busy schedule. Let’s see how the day goes…

10:25.

The 08:45 Leeds to Kings Cross Azuma is currently streaking across the Cambridgeshire fens at 123mph with me aboard. We’re 10 minutes late due to congestion at Doncaster earlier. Despite that, it’s been an excellent trip so far and the weather’s looking better than yesterday as there’s far less cloud around. I have to say, I really do like the performance of these Azuma’s. Not only to they go like stink but the ride is really good – especially when you’re sitting swiping at a laptop keyboard. My ‘spull chucker’ doesn’t get half the exercise it would if I was on a Mk3-4 set!

11:02.

After a really spirited run where our driver managed to claw a few minutes back we’re in the tunnels approaching Kings Cross. It’s time for me to leg it across London again..

13:15.

Having bitten the Buckinghan Palace cherry twice I made my circituitous way over to Liverpool St via walking to Charing Cross, train to London Bridge then a stroll across the river and through the city. The view across the Thames was worth it!

18:27.

I’m now North of Peterborough after a day which didn’t plan out quite as expected, but was fun nonetheless! After wandering over to Liverpool St I met up with an old friend who’d just flown back into the UK from Croatia via ‘London Saarfend’ airport. So, naturally I welcomed him back to the tin-pot dictatorship formerly known as the UK and we promptly drowned our sorrows in a local pub named after Lord Aberconway, the last Chairman of the Metropolitan Railway.

After a few beers we parted company and I retraced my way North much in the way that I did yesterday. So much so that I’m now on LNER’s 17:55 from Stevenage to Harrogate HST, and frankly, it’s a nightmare compared to the Azuma I came down on. It’s taken me twice as long to type this as the bloody thing’s performing like a yacht in a force 10. Trying to type is like playing darts, you hope to hit the relevant key but the chances are minimal.

22:59.

That’s the end of this rolling blog folks, I’m now back at home after a long but fun packed day. There’ll be no rolling blog tomorrow as I’m based at home, but expect a few pictures and commentary to appear. If I have time I’ll add some historical stuff too. G’night!

Rolling blog: following the good weather Southwards…

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in London, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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08:30.

After the past few days glorious weather up North the rain’s reappeared and today’s forecast is less than optimal. Because of this I’m heading down to London to fulfil a more unusual commission. One of my clients needs pictures of Buckingham Palace. No, I’ve no idea why either, but ours is not to reason why…

Whilst I’m in the capital I’ll be getting some library shots of the ever changing railway scene, so expect a few bits of interest to appear throughout the day…

09:30.

I’m on the road slightly later than planned as I had to send a batch of pictures one of the rail magazines had requested. To speed up the trip I’m getting a lift into Huddersfield with Dawn so I can take the direct TPE route to Leeds rather than walking to Halifax for the meander via Bradford. Typically, just as we left the house the drizzle started! Not only that, but a few minutes before we drove past, this came down on our road.

10:06.

Normal service has been resumed on TPE. I’m stood in the vestibule of a packed Class 185 on it’s way to Leeds. On the drive across I was scanning the news about the latest Brexitshambles and BBC story that Johnson is about to ask the Queen to suspend Parliament, thus enacting the political coup that will allow him to crash us out of the EU with no deal, rendering Parliament powerless to stop him. Truly, this country has become a dictatorship and the effects are going to be appalling. The Brexit zealots have no idea of the consequences of what they’re doing. They want Brexit at any cost, no matter how damaging. I fear the UK isn’t going to survive if they get their mad way.

11:21.

I’m now speeding my way to London on LNER’s 10:45 Leeds – Kings Cross. The train’s not too busy but I’ve drawn the short-straw as I’m now surrounded by a group of middle-aged women on a jolly to London, one of whom insists on showing the rest of the group the video contents of her phone. Why anyone would want to watch video’s of a baby screaming is beyond me! We’re just calling at Doncaster, so I expect the train’s going to get even louder. I’m kicking myself for not packing my iPod this morning, especially as I had it to hand just before I left the house. Instead, I’m taking refuge in work and trying to thin out the contents of my email inbox.

12:18.

We’re on our way from Peterborough now and the weather’s looking a lot more promising than at home. Although there’s high cloud it’s very broken. If this keeps up I should be able to get the pictures I need. Meanwhile, I’m making the hoped-for inroads into my inbox and clearing a backlog of pictures filing so it’s been a pretty productive trip so far…

14:43.

Would you ‘Adam and Eve’ it! Despite dashing across London to Buckingham Palace, I arrived at the same bleedin’ time as clouds and a brief shower. This was despite leaving Kings Cross which was baking in sunshine! So, there was me, sitting on the steps of the Victoria statue across the from the palace, pondering the place on the day of our deepest political crisis since world war 2 and thinking ‘kin ell! Eventually the weather played ball long enough that I could get a couple of shots that were fit for purpose. I’m now off to Victoria to head across London to hunt a different quarry: Class 710s.

15:25.

After travelling on my old friend the Victoria line I’ve emerged from the foetid atmosphere of the tube into the fresh air at Blackhorse Rd, North London. The station is an interchange with the ‘Goblin’ (as the Gospel Oak to Barking line’s known to locals). After years of difficulty with delayed electrification, cancelled services and late-delivery of new trains the line’s beginning to settle down and look forward to a reliable and prosperous future. In a scene replicated across so much of this area, the station’s overshadowed by a multitude of tower cranes building new high-rise blocks of flats, although who can still afford to rent them is a mystery.

16:58.

Whilst I was on the ‘Goblin’ I saw the last of the day’s sunshine in which I managed to grab a couple of decent shots at Blackhorse Rd and Harringay Green Lane before deciding to call it a day and begin my trek back to Yorkshire. As I was back in an old haunt I couldn’t resist getting one of the Turkish flatbread stuffed with minced lamb and spices that are popular fast food on Green Lane.

The area may have gone more upmarket from when I know it in the 1990s-2000s but there’s enough that’s familiar and the area still holds some wonderful memories for me. Wandering up the ‘ladder’ as the streets there are known I caught a train from another old haunt, Hornsey station and hopped between a few of the tired old workhouse Class 313s and their shiny new replacements, the Siemens Class 717s. The rush-hour hadn’t begun to bite so there were plenty of spare seats. At Potters Bar I changed once more, this time to a Siemens Class 700 which will carry me to Stevenage where I’ll pick up an LNER train. The weather across the Northern suburbs has turned dark and dismal with small showers, hardly ideal for photography so the camera’s getting a rest!

18:21.

My penultimate train if the day’s an ancient HST working a Kings Cross to Harrogate service. If there’s many typos in this part of the blog I apologise, the rocking and bouncing on this train at speed is awful! They may be liked by enthusiasts but the ride quality’s not a patch on an Azuma!

19:44.

We’re just leaving Wakefield under some exceptional skies as the edge of a heavy band of cloud is meeting the setting sun which is picking out a few stray clouds like a search light. It’s glorious! The effect was the same in Leeds but there was no chance of ne getting in a place to get pictures I was straight on to my last train of the day, Northern’s 20:06 to Huddersfield via Halifax which is worked by a neatly kept but tired Class 156.

20:07.

The final trip of the day’s begun and I’m looking forward to getting home and relaxing for a few hours as tomorrow’s going to be another much-travelled day…

Rolling blog: the Nova hunt…

27 Tuesday Aug 2019

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11:51.

I’m out and about on the Trans-Pennine trail for a couple of reasons today. First is to have a look at some locations on the Huddersfield to Dewsbury section of the route which is due to have its original four tracks reinstated in a couple of years time. The other is that I’m hoping to catch one of the new Nova 3 trainsets in action.

Right now I’m basking in the sunshine on a footbridge West of Mirfield where the old London and North Western and Lancashire & Yorkshire lines converge. The line to the right is the LNWR route from Huddersfield which I assume will be doubled once more. The bridge in the background still has the empty arch. Until recently the whole area was buried beneath shrubs and trees but Network Rail have chopped it all back.

12:57.

I’ve moved on again after a pleasant (if slightly sweaty) stroll along the River Calder back to Mirfield station. When you see it now it’s hard to imagine that it once possessed an overall roof and a substantial station building where the flowerbed is sited.

I plumped for the Pacer coupled to the 156 to bounce my way to Dewsbury and connect with a Huddersfield service. Thanks to friends on Twitter I now know that one Nova 3 set is on a Liverpool to Scarborough diagram this afternoon. With luck, I’ll be able to catch it!

13:13.

I’m now on the 13:10 to Huddersfield which is worked by a 100 mph Class 185 that stops at Ravensthorpe, Mirfield and Deighton. It’s an utter waste of an Intercity train, but the national shortage of diesel units and the vagaries of Dept for Transport policies mean that’s what it’s being used for!

14:19.

Having crossed the Pennines I’m now in Manchester, which is cooler (and cloudier) than the East. All being well, the Nova 3 set is due in 10 mins…

14:54.

Success! This being a TPE service it was late of course, which meant I didn’t risk the shot I’d intended to get, but I’m now travelling in it to Leeds after having had a wander through the train from end to end. First impressions are good. There’s certainly a lot more space than on a 3-car 185. Doors are at the car ends rather than 1/3 & 2/3 along the body as per 185s. They’re single-leaf doors, so narrower but they have their own vestibules separated from the passenger saloon by double doors. There are more table bays of four than on a 185 too. One thing some enthusiasts will hate (and ordinary pax ignore) – seating bays don’t line up with windows! Each pair of seats shares one power socket and a USB.

First Class passengers will appreciate the fact they have the coach behind the locomotive to themselves rather than being sandwiched in the middle of a Standard Class coach as on the 185s. This gives them more privacy and the 2 by 1 seating and table bays look very good.

15:33.

We had another late departure from Huddersfield for no apparent reason. There’s obviously still teething problems with the sets. I’ve noticed the PIS TV screens clock is an hour fast and it’s saying our next stop is York, not Leeds!

15:42.

We’re now 19 mins late after leaving Leeds. The Train Manager has announced this is due to an unspecified “train fault” which is par for the course with new train fleets until they bed down, so I’m not going to be critical.

16:10.

We’ve left York still 20 mins late despite a spirited run from Leeds. The sets ride well despite the absence of the underfloor ballast a diesel engine and fuel tank give a 185. The train’s packed now so the extra capacity’s welcome, as is the air-conditioning! Air’s blown up from the cills under the windows, which may disturb some people.

17:20.

Waiting for the return at 17:44.

18:08.

I’m now on my way back from Scarborough on the Nova 3 set with the loco pushing a very busy holiday train that’s carrying the “bucket and spade brigade” back from the seaside, so it’s a raucous service with lots of noisy kinds in (aural) evidence. This time I’ve taken up residence in the leading car. First impressions are that this is a step-change from older push-pull BR era stock like the Class 90s and Mark 3s used on Greater Anglia services where there’s constant snatching between the loco and stock dur to the TDM control equipment. I’ve not felt anything on here that would give away the fact the loco’s pushing.

19:08.

I abandoned the Nova 3 set at York in order to get a picture and followed   behind on a ‘bog-standard’ TPE 185. It’s been an interesting day that’s added plenty of pictures to the library. They’ll appear on my Zenfolio website over the next couple of days.

19:57.

I’m on the final train of the day, Northern’s 19:39 Leeds to Chester which left it’s starting point 15 mins late due to some faffing around with the ex-Scotrail Class 158 that’s formed it and the single car 153 that was detached from it at Leeds. Right now I’m looking forward to getting home, having a shower and relaxing. It’s been a busy day…

22.28.

Here’s a final selection of pictures from today.

1st Class in a Nova 3 set.
A table bay of 4 in Standard Class.
Who would have thought loco-hauled trains would be a daily sight at Scarborough once more? Here’s 68023 on the left with 68027 on the right.
The set leaves York en-route to Leeds.

Rolling blog: Time keeps on slippin, slippin…

26 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by in Calder Valley, Rolling blogs, Sowerby Bridge, Travel, West Yorkshire

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13:20.

Despite it being a bank holiday there no rest for us freelancers. I was up first thing to get a few dozen pictures collated and sent to a client for an article on the 10th anniversary of the closure of the Oldham loop heavy rail line which is now a very successful part of the Manchester Metrolink. Here’s how things used to look like in Oldham back in 2009, when the railway station was seperated from the town centre by a busy dual carriageway.

Here’s how it looks now, with trams running directly into the town centre.

I’ve also uploaded another selection of pictures to my Zenfolio website, you can find which galleries have been updated by following this link.

Now it’s time to get into holiday mode and visit the Wainhouse Tower, a local landmark which is only open to the public on special occasions. Today’s an ideal day to climb to the top as the weather’s superb. I’ll post some pictures later…

15:12.

Phew! 369 steps (without stopping) later, these were the views that greeted me today..

19:05.

What a fabulous bank holiday. After the Wainhouse Tower adventure we headed across the other side of the Calder Valley for a stroll on Norland Moor. Conditions couldn’t have been better, there was hardly any wind and the views were sublime.

After a very pleasant amble we dropped onto the nearby Moorcock Inn for a drink. They’d obviously had a busy bank holiday with two special barbecues on today and yesterday. By the time we got there they’d already sold out which wasn’t a problem for us as we’d intended to eat at home, but it was lovely to soak up the atmosphere and see so many folk enjoying themselves.

We stayed long enough for a pint, then headed back across to ‘our side’ of the valley and popped into our local for one last drink before heading home. The ‘Big 6’ beer garden was doing a roaring trade but the rooms inside looked like someone has declared a curfew! Mind you, the selection of real ales was rather impressive.

Now we’re back at home and pretending we’re in the Mediterranean by grilling Sardines on throwaway barbecue in the front garden. Let’s face it folks, this is West Yorkshire, anything more permanent would rust away before being used half a dozen times!