This is the last blog from Bigland Towers for a while as tomorrow I head off to Crewe to join the Railway Children’s annual ‘3 peaks by rail’ charity fundraiser. I’d hoped to have been able to enjoy some of the gorgeous summer weather that’s arrived but instead I ended up stuck indoors for the vast majority of the day in order to clear the decks of various work before I decamp. Plus, I’ve had to pack for the family holiday which I’ll be joining once the 3 peaks is over. Dawn and her folks will be heading to Dorset on Saturday and I’ll follow on behind.
The logistics of these trips means packing for all eventualities and climates as it looks like we’ll be having changeable conditions depending on whether we’re in England, Scotland or Wales. Then there’s the Scottish midges to contend with, which means packing different protective equipment to keep the little buggers at bay! Right now I’m almost done. All the batteries are fully charged, spares packed, cables secured and the laptop cleared of pictures which have all been archived – just in case…
I’ll be blogging throughout the next few days as and when wifi and phone reception allows – which isn’t always. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which comes from a previous 3 peaks. One of the many delights of the event is the opportunity to take a trip on the Ravenglass and Eskdale narrow-gauge railway, which is used to move the teams from the coast inland, where they then walk from Dalegarth to the start of the climb up Scafell. Here’s ‘Whillan Beck’, the locomotive that was used in June 2018.
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We’re being treated to glorious sunshine here in the Calder valley this morning, although I’m not going to be around to enjoy it as I’m on my way to Manchester for another visit to Manchester’s Newton Heath depot in order to get the pictures and info I need for a future RAIL article.
My fellow passengers on the 09:02 from Sowerby Bridge are all dressed for the summer as everyone’s making the most of the good weather whilst it lasts. Finally, the winter layers and rainwear have been discarded – for now at least. The Class 158 I’m travelling on is in summer mode too – all the windows are open as the air-conditioning is struggling already!
After my depot visit’s concluded I’ll be spending some time exploring the railways around Manchester and making the most of the sunshine. Feel free to pop back later and see what I get up to….
16:00.
Sorry for the gap but things haven’t gone entirely to plan! My visit to Newton Heath was excellent. I was given a full tour, learned a lot more about operations and future plans whilst also getting pictures of different depot facilities.
An empty ‘parlour’. This is the only part of the 1876 steam shed that remains. Note the WW1 memorial which has been installed at the end. Here’s a look inside the new St Mary’s building which is a world apart from the old steam shed.
It was only afterwards that things went a bit ‘Pete Tong’. I’d decided to make the most of the weather and explore the old ‘Oldham Loop’ rail line to Rochdale which is now part of the Manchester Metrolink tram network. I’ve not travelled this line for several years so today seemed like an ideal opportunity. I traversed Oldham on foot to get pictures then caught a tram out to an old haunt – Shaw and Crompton.
Tram 3097 calls at Oldham Central tram stop in Union St. To the left the old Prudential building is slowly reclaimed by nature. Tram 3139 leaves Oldham Mumps tram stop on its way into Manchester. There’s a lot of regeneration happening around here but the amount of empty commercial properties is depressing. The old mainline station was down the hill to the right. It’s changed a bit since I first got to know the area! The Metrolink station has been built to the South of the level crossing and site of the national rail station.
It was then I became aware of an issue with my footwear. I was wearing a pair of safety shoes with steel toecaps – sensible and required footwear for wandering around a depot – but I’d not worn them for a while as most of the jobs I do require safety boots, not shoes. As I walked along the platform at Shaw and Crompton I became aware of a flapping sound. Looking down I realised my shoe soles were very rapidly disintegrating as well as coming away from the uppers! There was nothing for it to head back home for a change of footwear and hope they’d last long enough to walk back in. Thankfully Dawn had a free moment and was a star. She drove down to Halifax station to deliver me spare shoes in order that I could complete my explorations. Talk about a life-saver. Needless to say, she now has even more credit in the bank!
I wasn’t expecting this!
Leaving Halifax I caught the local shuttle down to Huddersfield in order to check out TRU work. Since my last visit one of the platform shelters has vanished, while the scaffold and crash deck that’s being built under the existing roof has extended even further Eastwards. The wooden waiting room on the island platform is slowly disappearing too. It’s being dismantled piece by piece so that it can be stored before being re-erected on the station at a later date. The interior’s now been stripped out and the windows have all disappeared.
Notice anything missing?
Right now I’m on a TPE service back to Manchester to pick up where I left off. The weather’s changed with cloud building up but I’m optimistic I’ll still be able to get some good library shots.
22:15.
I’m back home after a busy but productive day. I did manage some extra library shots but for once the weather changed for the worse in the evening, meaning we lost the sun and gained low cloud instead so I called it a day earlier than planned and made my way home.
Having been transferred to Northern from the West Midlands, 323220 has become a common sight in Manchester. It was at Piccadilly this evening before working a service to Crewe.
I’ve still got over 27,000 steps in the bank, which isn’t bad when all I’d had to eat was 3 bits of bacon and an egg for breakfast and an apple for lunch. Mind you, I’ve been guzzling water like it’s going out of fashion, so that’s helped fill the gaps. I’m surprised (and rather relived) that my fasting regime isn’t more challenging, although I was looking forward to getting home and consuming my last allowance. I’ve found baked beans fill you up nicely – and so far, there’s been no unfortunate side effects…
Tomorrow I’ll be working from home all day and prepping for both 3 Peaks by rail and the holiday afterwards, so expect a picture dump and a few other bits on the blog. Until then, goodnight!
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/
We’ve had a busy weekend here at Bigland Towers and it’s one that’s (finally) been blessed with good weather. There’s been several days in a row with glorious sunshine and lovely evenings, which is a first for 2024 as normally rain follows the sun as night follows day. Today both of us managed to get out for a long walk and enjoy an hour in the beer garden at our local, topping up on liquid refreshments and also vitamin D. The timing’s been excellent as I’ve got a very busy week ahead so having time to recharge both mentally and physically has been a Godsend.
Tomorrow I’m back in Manchester with another visit to Northern’s Newton Heath depot. I’ll blog about some of it but the rest you’ll be able to read about in a future edition of RAIL magazine. My fasting regime kicks in again tomorrow which should be interesting as so far I’ve only stuck to that when I’ve been at home. On Thursday I set off for another major event where fasting will not be part of the programme (I’ll need all the calories I can get) as I join the Railway Children’s annual ‘3 peaks by rail’ as the event photographer. Regular readers will know I’ve been volunteering every year since 2017, it’s a fantastic charity fundraiser but it’s hardly a walk in the park for either the teams or the volunteers who keep the whole event running. We finish next Saturday night after living on the train for two nights and two days. I’ll try and blog as I can, but you’ll be able to read about the whole trip in RAIL magazine.
I’ll need a holiday after that. But then I have one planned, because just as soon as I finish I’ll be travelling down to Dorset to meet Dawn and her parents as Bigland Towers is moving to that neck of the woods for a couple of weeks – so expect many more blogs with a travel flavour.
Right now it’s time to go as I’ve stuff to prepare for tomorrow. I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from a previous ‘3 peaks by rail’ adventure, 2021 in fact…
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/
Ugh! The alarm went off at 04:15 and I’m now showered and on mt first cup of coffee – but it won’t be my last. Today’s going to be a long day. But first things first, which is a long walk to the station, which should get the blood pumping. On the bright side (literally) is the weather’s fine and the sun’s almost up. Let’s see how things go…
05:55.
The walk to Halifax station was very pleasant. The town’s not woken up yet and the streets were deserted. Plus, the slight chill in the air meant there was no danger of overheating. Now I’m on Northern’s 05:45 heading for Manchester on the first leg of the route. Today it’s a 4-car and at the moment pretty quiet with just half a dozen of us in the front car.
07:45.
When we passed Newton Heath depot in Manchester I had to do a double-take as the ranks of Northern liveried trains was broken by a pair of interlopers. A pair of Transport for Wales class 150/2s occupied one of the sidings. Made surplus by Wales’s investment in new trains they’ve been cascaded to Northern. I wonder if they’ll be pressed into service before they’re reliveried?
On arrival at Victoria another unusual sight greeted me. A rake of Pullman liveried MK3’s, top and tailed by a pair of Class 47s sat in Platform 4. It turns out this was a West Coast railways dining train heading down to Ascot for the races. The return working gets back to Victoria after 1 AM tomorrow, by which time I expect the occupants will be very wined and very dined!
I didn’t have time to get a picture as I needed to hotfoot it across the city to get to Piccadilly in order to catch my next train. I’m now aboard Cross-Country’s 07:03 to Bristol, which I’m using to get to Birmingham New St. The service was quiet leaving Manchester but we’re now South of Stoke and the 5-car units filled up considerably en-route.
09:30.
Well, that was fun! On arrival at Wolverhampton we got told that – due to a ‘train in difficulty’ ahead of us we were being diverted via Bescot and Soho Junction. Passing Bescot was sad. Most of the old freight yard’s abandoned with all the overhead wires stripped out, only the skeletal portals tell the tale of how how many freight trains used to be electric hauled. The rest is just fans of rusting, weed-strewn sidings. The once-busy loco depot disappeared years ago, to be replaced with a wagon repair shops. The area’s a world away from the incredibly busy site I first visited way back in 1977.
We arrived at New St 15 minutes late but that still gave me time to walk over the Moor St where I picked up my scheduled connection. I’m now aboard Chiltern’s 09:15 heading to Warwick Parkway where I can catch the free coach service to Long Marston.
18:00.
I’m back! Sorry for the interlude but not only is Long Marston difficult to get to but the phone reception is awful. Plus, I didn’t have a spare minute to blog as there was too much to see/photograph and people to catch up with.
If you’ve never been to RAIL live you won’t appreciate just how much shoe-leather you wear through. It’s a huge site and it’s getting bigger each year. But then it has a 3.5km long test track, miles of storage sidings and the event brings in 100s of stalls and outdoor displays. I’ll add some pictures later, but to give you an idea. There’s 100s of millions pf pounds of new (or nearly new) trains in store on the site, as welll as re-engineered Porterbrook Class 769s rendered surplus before they were even introduced by GWR. Then there’s the exhibition stands. Ever seen a ‘robo-dog’? There were several on site. These incredible automatons that look like they’re out of ‘Star Wars’ are used for surveys and inspections. Then there’s some cutting-edge Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs) that look like spiders because of their flexibility. They can literally crawl across the land through their use independently wheeled arms. The first to be registered on the UK rail network was on display.
But RAIL live isn’t all about technology. There’s three stages where discussions take place with humans. One of the most powerful was with Ukrainian railways, who explained how they keep the network running amidst the biggest European war since World War 2. Whilst we’re all dressed in lightweight high-vis jackets one of their number talked about trying to raise funds so that Ukrainian rail workers can wear the version they need. Bullet-proof high-vis. Sobering…
I left the site around 1500 as I was offered a lift with old friends (other RAIL magazine alumni) who dropped me off at Stratford-upon-Avon where I caught a train to Birmingham. It’s such a lovely evening I’d have been tempted to stay for a pint in Birmingham, but the journey back to Halifax is long and slow – and will be for decades – thanks to Rishi Sunak’s capricious decision to scrap HS2 to Manchester. Now I’m on a busy 5-car Cross-Country service to Manchester Piccadilly. Fortunately, I’ve managed to blag a free table seat to set up the mobile office and begin downloading today’s pictures.
22:50.
I’m home – and knackered after a long day in which I’ve walked over 14 miles with a camera pack on my back on one of the warmest days of the year so far. Despite that, it’s been a really good day. There’s lots of photos to sort out tomorrow, but right now I’ll leave you with these.
A line-up of Class 701s. A lot of very expensive, brand-new (but stored) trains. Most will be over four years old before they turn a wheel in revenue service. No, it’s not out of ‘Transformers’ – this is real! These flexible machines are incredible bits of kit. I’ll add more details tomorrow.More futuristic kit. ‘Robo-dogs’. They’re house-trained and they don’t shed hair. But they’re not pets either. They’re a very flexible tool for carrying out inspections and diagnostic work in dangerous and/or confined spaces – or even in the open air. – and here’s one that we made earlier… These bi-mode Class 769s were due to be used by GWR. Instead they’ve ended up in store here at Long Marston.
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There’s a very short blog from me today as I’ve got to be up at Sparrowfart tomorrow in order to get down to Long Marston for RAIL live. That means my alarm’s set for 04:15 so I can catch the first train of the day from Halifax. Right now I’m just finishing packing my kit before heading to bed.
Today, the weather’s actually felt like summer. We’ve had hours of sunshine, even though there’s been a fair amount of cloud around. The temperature’s started heading in the right direction too. RAIL live looks like it’s going to be blessed with good weather again too, so I’ve packed a pair of shorts – just in case!
One of my little chores today was to amalgamate the previous years RAIL live pictures into one gallery, which you can find here. There should be a lot more to add from this year’s event in a couple of days time. I’ll be doing a rolling blog as I’m travelling tomorrow, but don’t expect too much from the event itself as I’ll be kept busy catching up with friends and colleagues from across the industry, although I hope to be be able to add one or two pictures if I can.
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which is from the 2022 event, when GBRf sent along one of their rebuilt Class 56 locos, renumbered 69005 and repainted into a heritage style livery.
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/
Another week that’s begun with a day working from home, not that I’m complaining as it’s a nice way to ease oneself into a new week that’s the potential for being rather busy. Besides, I’ve most of the material I need for a new RAIL article now, so I can crack on with the first draft. Besides, having eaten out a lot (and drunk a fair bit too) I’ve decided to have a crack at losing a few pounds with the 5:2 diet, which means restricting your calorie intake to 600 a day for two days of the week. That’s much easier at home than when I’m on my travels – and I can combine it with a lot more regular exercise. It’s not that I’m overweight, I’m just nearer to top of the range I ensure I stay within. Today’s day 1 and it’s not been too bad, even though I’ve burned off a lot more calories walking over 18,000 steps as I had to stroll into Halifax to collect timber and screws for DIY chores at home. Still, it’s always nice to try something different, all I have to do now it take more care planning meals and making sure I don’t stuff myself on the other five days – especially as Dawn’s made another batch of her fabulous Bakewell tart and gorgeous lemon drizzle cake!
Today’s been made more pleasant by the fact we’ve only had the briefest of showers this morning whilst the afternoon and evening’s been graced with glorious sunshine. Temperatures are still low but after the conditions we’ve had recently – I’ll take it. Sadly, it seems this is a ‘for one day only’ sort of offer with the rain resuming tomorrow afternoon. Never mind, maybe I’ll get most of that article written…
Later this week I’ll be attending the RAIL Live event at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre in Warwickshire. I just hope this massive outdoor event is graced with decent weather. At the moment the forecast’s looking promising so expect a rolling blog and pictures on Thursday. RAIL live’s a brilliant showcase of the latest kit (big and small) used by rail engineering companies. The site’s also used as a test facility and storage site for trains either recently withdrawn or waiting to go into service. So, today’s picture(s) are from the 2022 event, just to give you a flavour…
Brand new West Midland Railway Class 197s No’s 196010. 196106. 196011. 196109 and 196008 in store before entering service. Engineering company Furrer and Frey demonstrating their retractable 25kv overhead power supply. This can be used in depots or yards. Van Elle showing of some of their range of Road-Rail Vehicles.
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/
Here we are, halfway through June and on the cusp of summer and all the weather’s done here is rain! Only now, this evening have the clouds (sort of) cleared and the sun found some space to put in an appearance. There’s a pattern developing here, crap weather throughout the day that gives way to a nice evening – just to tease you!
Today’s plans went out of the window for a couple of reasons, the weather being just one of them. A couple of days ago Dawn had ordered a variety of fish portions from the excellent ‘Sailbrand’ in Huddersfield, with the delivery date of today. Dee had to go out, which left me holding the fort until the delivery arrived. Sadly, this wasn’t until 15:30, Coupled with the pouring rain it meant our plan to escape and go for lunch somewhere was thwarted. Ho hum…
Instead, my day’s been one spent kicking my heels at home, although it’s not been entirely wasted as I’ve been busy researching my next RAIL magazine article as well as fulfilling some household chores. I even managed to get out for a walk and a swift couple of pints in our local, the Big 6 whilst Dawn kept herself busy in the kitchen, cooking up some delicious delights for Father’s day tomorrow as well as a great meal for tonight.
Now we’re kicking back, looking enviously at the evening sunshine and thinking ‘why weren’t you here this afternoon’? Ah, well. Tomorrow’s another day. Now it’s time for me to knock off and leave you with today’s picture. Whatever the weather, Yorkshire does produce some amazing skies…
Something wicked this way comes…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
*I originally wrote this as an article in RAIL magazine, where it appeared in April 2024.*
One complaint that’s levelled at the new HS2 railway is that it’s hardly going to be Britain’s most scenic rail journey! With 105km of tunnels on the section between London and Birmingham that’s no surprise. Much of the rest will be in cuttings. HS2 will be Britain’s most invisible railway. But there are a few structures that will afford views from the train (however fleeting) as well as provide iconic landmarks that can be admired from afar.
One such structure is the Wendover Dean viaduct which is being built just a few Km South of the town. In January RAIL was invited to take a look at construction progress in the week after the first 90 metre section of the deck had been pushed out onto the piers that will carry it. It’s an impressive structure which crosses above Durham Farm, a portion of Bowood Lane (which is being realingned) and parallels King’s Lane – which will allow views down over the structure.
A crane used to lift the infill panels into place. A stack of panels can be seen in the foreground. This view is looking South.
Built by EKFB with ASC (Arcadis, Setec, Cowi JV) as its design partner and Moxon as the architects the design has used as inspiration similar French structures like the Vicoin viaduct on the LGV Bretagne – Pays de la Loire high-speed line. When complete the viaduct will be 450m long, sitting on nine piers, some of which are 14 meters high, giving the structure a maximum height of 20 meters (not counting OLE masts). This method of construction is well known in Europe but it’s a first for the UK.
Traditional decks tend to use what is effectively a continuous block of concrete. A drawback of this is that concrete manufacturing is one of the most carbon-intensive parts of such structures. Instead of being constructed of concrete sections built in situ before lifted atop the piers then fixed together, at the Wendover Dean site, EKFB is using a pair of long ‘I’ beams of weathering steel sandwiched between two slabs of concrete with a hollow inner. These beams are constructed by specialists in France before being delivered to the Wendover site in 25 metre sections. They’re then welded together at ground level on the launching platform – a much safer method than having to do it in-situ at height.
This double composite structure is both super strong and lightweight. Compared to the traditional method (pre-cast concrete beams lifted into position with cranes) the overall carbon footprint gives a carbon reduction of 56% over the lifetime of the project. Most of this is in the materials themselves, with transport the next largest contributor. This method should save an estimated 7,433 tonnes of embodied carbon – the equivalent of someone taking 20,500 return flights from London to Edinburgh.
Another interesting aspect of the engineering is the nine piers that will support the deck. The foundations (piling began in June 2022) themselves aren’t unusual They consist of four piles between 38-45 meters deep. A steel cage is inserted into each borehole before being filled with concrete, then topped with a pile cap. Then, a steel cage is built above the pile cap with pre-cast concrete shells slotted over them. Finally, a hammerhead shaped shell is added as the final piece, with a steel cage dropped into it before the shell is filled with concrete. Having these pre-cast concrete shells made off-site at a facility in Northern Ireland is one of the ways that HS2 has managed to reduce disruption to the local area in Wendover as well as control the quality of the finish compared to being built on-site. It’s also a good illustration of how HS2 is generating jobs and income right across the UK, not just on the route. Northern Ireland’s contribution to the project amounts to £140 million in tier two contracts.
Looking North from atop one of the piers. The haul road can be seen to the right of the picture. The red structure on the end of the girders is there to allow the permeant bridge to be guided into place. The first section after being pushed into place, with some of the infill panels already positioned.
The deck is being assembled in three stages ranging from 90m to 180m sections, with each one pushed out from the north abutment before the next section is attached behind it. This slow and painstaking process means that the weight of the deck will increase with each push, up from an initial 590 tonnes to 3700 tonnes by the end of the year. With the deck moving at roughly 9m/hour, the process will take most of 12 months with the finish point at the South abutment approximately 1.8m higher than start point. The deck is pushed out over temporary bearings, sliding across Teflon plates which are fed across the bearings by hand. Pushing power is provided by cable winches which are anchored to the massive Northern abutment which was specially designed for this purpose – hence its size and weight.
Looking South from the Northern abutment.
When you visit the site you appreciate just how constrained the layout is. The HS2 Hybrid bill defined the limit of land that could be used to built HS2. As you’d expect at a viaduct site, this is quite narrow with most of the site to the West of the viaduct. There’s just enough room to store the concrete panels that form the top and bottom of the viaduct as well as the plant and other machinery needed for construction, plus the offices and welfare facilities which are on a temporary site nearby. One difficulty is the need for a haul-road to pass by the site. This is to allow for the movement of spoil from constructing cuttings to the South towards Wendover where it will be reused. To do this an extra strip of land had to be purchased to the East of the trace so that wagons could traverse the site without interrupting work on the viaduct. This land will be returned to its owners once work is finished.
Looking South from atop one of the piers. The wood on the horizon to the left of the pier is the (in)famous Jones’ hill woods which anti HS2 protestors occupied whilst falsely claiming it had a link to Roald Dahl. Their abandoned camp still lies there, rotting, polluting the very woods they claimed to have been trying to ‘save’.
Our visit allowed access to the top of one of the piers where we had a grandstand view of construction and an impression of how the viaduct was set in the landscape. On the edge of the rise to the South-East corner is the (in)famous Jones’ Hill ancient woodland, the edge of which (0.7 Ha) had to be felled for HS2. This privately-owned wood had been occupied by protesters who falsely claimed it was linked to author Roald Dahl. Their camp still exists, abandoned and rotting, polluting the very land they claimed to be trying to ‘save’. In mitigation, HS2’s planted 4.1 Ha of mixed woodland, some of which is adjacent to Jones’ Hill.
Seeing the red-painted launching-girder attached to the bridge deck at eye-level is quite a sight, as is knowing you’re standing atop a pier that will soon be carrying high-speed trains between London and Birmingham. Our guides also took us to the Northern abutment to see the temporary bearings and show us the Teflon plates that were used as flat rollers, allowing the weathered steel beams to be launched Southwards. Once the completed deck is in place it will rest on jacks which will gradually lower the whole structure onto the permanent bearings that will support it thereafter.
One of the temporary bearings used whilst the bridge deck is pushed out. Demonstrating how the Teflon plates are used to slide the bridge girders along the structure.
After the main viaduct deck is complete the parapets will be installed along with derailment walling and noise barriers. The parapets will be creased rather than flat. The crease will create inward and outward leaning surfaces that catch light and shade making the structure much more interesting, attractive (and photogenic). Once the civils side is finished the structure will be handed over to the rail systems teams to allow track, signalling and overheads to be installed.
Finally, the adjacent historic field boundaries and hedgerows will be recreated to provide uninterrupted access for farmers and local residents, leaving little to no trace of the construction compound and years of activity.
I suspect this viaduct will become a popular site for photography as it’ll be one of the very few locations where HS2 will be able to be seen in the context of the landscape it passes through. The sight of 400m long trains whizzing through the Chilterns atop a viaduct at speed will be one not to be missed!
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/
OK, I’m fed up of this weather now. It’s starting to try my patience. Although I’d planned to work from home today I was hoping to get out with the camera tomorrow. Looking at the forecast I think there’s fat chance of that! Truly, this has been an awful June so far. Despite the pair of us being wrapped up like a pair of Eskimos we cracked and put the central heating on for a while just to take the chill off the place. Then, this afternoon the rain started…
So many folk we’ve talked to are feeling the same frustration. By now all the winter clothing should have been packed away and the drawers packed with T-shirts and shorts. Instead, I’m back wearing woolly jumpers whilst Dee’s in a ‘hoodie’! Instead of tucking into salads we’re on winter food. Dee made a gorgeous meat and potato pie tonight – something we really wouldn’t expect to be scoffing in June.
Please God, let the weather change soon, so that I can plan more than 24 hours ahead. There’s a lot of scenic rail pictures I’d love to be taking, but when you can’t rely on more than one day of sunshine it makes arranging trips (in the UK, anyway) very difficult and expensive if I come back with nothing that I can use. Costs have risen massively as it it without the added uncertainty of the weather.
OK, weather gripe over. Now I’ll talk about politics…
No, not really, I’ll spare you that at least. When it comes to the Tory campaign, the expression ‘same shit, different day’ springs to mind. Now all the main parties have released their manifestos and people can see what’s on offer. So, i’ll quickly observe that none of it is moving the polls in any significant way and move on…
One of the jobs I finished today was completing stocking the new Trans-pennine Route Upgrade gallery on my Zenfolio website. You can find it by following this link. As well as migrating all the old pictures from other galleries I’ve added yesterday’s selection. I’ll be keeping a regular eye on the project, so expect many more picture to appear through the course of the year.
Now I’ll leave you with the picture of the day. Bugger the British weather, I fancy something exotic and beachy. How’s this then? The stunning Cachorro and Conceicao beaches on the beautiful and amazing Brazilian Island of Fernando de Noronha, seen on the 16th August 2002.
You can find many more pictures of the island and the Brazilian mainland in this gallery.
See you tomorrow – come rain or shine!
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m currently in Huddersfield, having travelled in with Dawn in order for the two of us to work from the Community Rail Network office in the old water tower at the station. Getting in to the office is ‘fun’ nowadays as it sits inside a fenced off TRU compound!
The CRN water tower surrounded by building materials and plant. We have to skirt the edge of this lot to get into the office…
My morning’s been spent on a couple of ‘teams’ calls with some Northern Rail staff as background for a forthcoming RAIL magazine article. The chats were really informative, which will really help the article. Now, they’re finished I’m heading out to have a look at some more upgrade work on the line from here to Leeds. Feel free to pop back and see what I get up to…
14:20.
Platforms at Huddersfield slowly disappear under scaffolding.
I’m currently at Mirfield, where the new platform 2 is really starting to take shape.
Earlier I popped in at Ravensthorpe where an awful lot of earth is being moved around.
The new alignment is going to pass through the middle of this picture taken from the existing Ravensthorpe station. The existing alignment to the left will be abandoned.
17:30.
After a very long diversion at Ravensthorpe due to a footpath closure, I made it to the bridge West of Ravensthorpe where I got these pictures (captions later). As you can see there’s going to need to be some tree trimming before the line’s electrified!
185134 passes the site of the new Ravensthorpe station whilst working 2M78, the 1458 York to Manchester Piccadilly which is routed via Castleford and Healey Mills. Whilst the other side of the line at Ravensthorpe has had vegetation cut back, the Eastbound side is in serious need of the same treatment.
21:45.
I’m back at home on what’s turned out (weatherwise) to be a lovely evening – something all too rare this year. Now it’s time to bring this rolling blog to an end with a couple more pictures from my TRU travels.
This scene will change dramatically over the next few years. Here’s 66847 approaching Thornhill LNW Jn from Healey Mills. The site of the new Ravensthorpe station slowly takes shape. The bridge some of the other pictures were taken from is seen in the background.
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/
Paul Bigland 