I’ve had another mixed-bag sort of day here at Bigland Towers. It’s been one that’s never really taken off as the weather’s been so unpredictable. The heatwave of the other week seems like a false memory now as we’ve had so many wet days since. I’d been toying with having a day out but the forecast put the mockers on that as I soon realised I’d be wasting my time as I’d plenty of things to clear the decks with at home that will free me up for some adventures next week. One of the days achievements has been to tidy-up my recent picture-taking and get stuff I hadn’t catalogued onto my Zenfolio picture website. You can find what I’ve added (and where) by following this link. There’s still some more pictures to add but they should be cleared over the weekend.
Another exercise was trying to find the details of the court case results that saw some anti HS2 protesters jailed earlier this week. I’ve managed to update yesterday’s blog with the results but finding and linking to the original court papers is difficult – especially on a Friday! I’ll get there in the end as they’ll eventually be published in full. In the meantime I’ve had to spend a lot of time chasing details through informed people.
Right, it’s time to get into the weekend spirit so I’ll leave you with today’s picture which was taken in our garden this morning. Most days recently I’ve looked out of our living room window to notice the raindrops beading on the Iris’ outside. I kept thinking what a good picture it would make. Finally I got around to taking it.
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It was always going to end this way and today it did. Five of the young men involved in the farcical and futile anti HS2 tunnel protest in Staffordshire that ended in June have been sentenced at Birmingham Crown court over the past two days. A copy of the High Court directions order can be found here.
Two other people (Rory Hooper and Leanne Swateridge) gave undertakings under which they are now prohibited from trespassing on any HS2 land and interfering with the project in any way. These undertaking are valid for 2 years.
Yesterday one protester was jailed for a total of 331 days. I haven’t seen this person’s identity confirmed as yet but there’s only one name missing out of the seven defendants listed on the Directions order…
Two others received prison terms of 184 days and 156 days, suspended for two years, plus fines and court costs. These are William Harewood (aka ‘Satchel’) who also received a £3000 fine and Liam Walters who received a £2000 fine.
A fourth, David Buchan (aka David Holiday) who wasn’t in the tunnels but who was present on injuncted land was sentenced to 100 days in prison, plus a £1500 fine and court costs. He’d refused to turn up to court, with the inevitable consequences.
Today, the final protester and repeat offender, Elliott Cuciurean will be sentenced. I’ll update this blog when I have confirmation of his sentence.
Apart from wasting time, money and their own lives these people have achieved the sum total of zero. The Hs2 ‘Rebellion’ collapsed some time ago without stopping HS2 in the slightest. They may be seen as ‘martyrs’ by some but the truth is most people won’t even notice. The court cases have attracted minimal publicity, just like the 47 days they wasted holed-up in a pointless tunnel. The world’s moved on and so has HS2, which has reached several construction milestones (and will see several more) whilst these people languish in prison. It’s been very telling that the moribund anti HS2 Facebook and other social media pages are mostly ignoring the court case. It seems clear that hardly anyone’s turned up to protest outside, which is another obvious sign of just how their campaign’s collapsed.
Now there’s no more active camps left, just an ineffective handful of people who’ve been allowed to camp on a farmer’s land near Jones’ Hill wood (the one the protesters lied about having a connection with Roald Dahl) which is futile as all the tree-clearance work was completed long ago and now construction of the HS2 trace is well underway.
It’s noticeable that the Facebook pages of some of the protesters have suddenly vanished. Hardly surprising as they helped provide evidence of their contempt of court! ‘Drew Robson’ (Andrew McMaster) who was one of the most prominent and gobby of the protesters has taken his down.
‘Drew’ with one of the posts from his vanished Facebook page. Like all his other boasts, it didn’t age well!
Not that it matters as the hopeless protest movement really is all over now. These cases are hardly going to encourage other people to be as foolish as the likes of Harewood and Cuciurean. The money’s dried up, the volunteers have dried up – and so has the media interest. So much so that another High Court case in London on the 28th March slipped under the radar. HS2 ‘rebellion’ kept quiet about it too – for obvious reasons – as it shows how many of their high-profile protesters have been neutered.
This case involved some of the protesters from another futile tunnel protest, this time the one at Euston. It involved decades long failure to stop anything, Larch Maxey – along with Daniel Hooper (aka ‘Swampy’), Isla Sandford, Juliet Stevenson-Clark and Bethany Cooke, who all ate humble pie, as the wording of the judgement explains. It also makes clear that if it wasn’t for HS2 Ltd agreeing to their grovelling, they would have been jailed.
“The Defendants apologised to the court for their actions and undertook not to trespass on land which is being used for the HS2 project, to obstruct or interfere with the Claimant’s operations or to train others to do so. This outcome was acceptable to the Claimant and, in the light of this and for the reasons explained in the judgment of Linden J, the court was persuaded, albeit reluctantly, that it should make the order applied for.”
Both these court cases (along with others) show how the small band of people who made up the hardcore of the anti HS2 protests are now out of the game. The pool of activists was always more of a puddle. Now that puddle’s dried up.
Now the focus swings to the huge amount of progress being made on building HS2….
UPDATE (29th July).
Elliott’s case was adjourned until September with no date fixed for the case to be heard, so the saga drags on until then.
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We’ve had a busy day here at Bigland Towers due to two events. Dawn had to go into the Community Rail Network offices in Huddersfield bright and early whilst I was engaged in my last Zoom judging panel for the Community Rail Awards. The law of Sod being what it is, my internet started playing up shortly before I was due to join the meeting. Luckily, there was a plan B. I have a large data allowance on my mobile phone contract so I tethered it to my laptop and used it as a surrogate internet connection for a few hours whilst myself and my esteemed colleagues (all with a wealth of experience) judged our final three categories totaling over 50 entries . What was reassuring was the the fact that during our individual initial sifting and marking we’d all come to an independent (and unwitting) consensus on who the winners were. 2nd and 3rd place took some more discussions but an agreement wasn’t too difficult – despite the fact there were some excellent entries and the overall standards were so high. I’ll say no more other than that there are some very worthy winners and the awards ceremony in Manchester later in October will be a brilliant and inspiring event and celebration of the best the world of community railways has to offer.
Now my judging duties are over for another year I can concentrate on other things. I’m looking forward to be able to get out and about again as there’s so many things to see and do – although today wasn’t going to be one of those days due to the latest rail strike which meant there were no trains at all running through the Calder Valley, which would have rather cramped my style! Anyway, there’s another week and another month coming up on Monday which will see me stretching my legs on a number of different projects. But not tomorrow – as the weather’s meant to be crap again! I’ve been sending pictures from the heatwave to several different magazines today. They seem like an age ago due to the fact we’ve had constant rain since – it’s almost like it was a dream. Hopefully the summer will return soon.
On that note I’ll leave you with today’s picture which is an archive ‘trains and the landscape’ picture taken at Arnside on the edge of the Lake District in November 2021.
CAF built Class 195 number 195132 crosses the viaduct at Arnside whilst working 1C54, the 1228 Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness on the 4th November 2021.
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I can’t quite believe the contrast in the weather up here in the Pennines. This time last week we were basking in a heatwave which saw the UK being scorched by record temperatures. Even the Calder valley made it up to 37 degrees. Now? It’s been raining most of the day (making that 6 days in a row) with the temperature never rising above the mid-teens. Bizarre…
I’m not knocking it as I’m going to be stuck at home for a few more days yet as I’ve loads of paperwork, picture editing and prepping to do. It would be nice to get out for a walk without getting wet but the forecast for much of the rest of the week is more of the same – bar Wednesday which just happens to coincide with the next rail strike. That means no trains through the Calder valley so I doubt I’ll be going anywhere sadly. I know other parts of the UK would be very jealous of our rainfall as they’re still experiencing a drought, so I’m not going to complain. I took a stroll through our local woods earlier. They looked very lush and far less stressed than they did this time last week. It was a pleasure to be wandering through them as they’re such a peaceful and beautiful part of where we live.
There’s no long blog form me tonight and I certainly won’t be commenting on the latest Tory Leadership debate as I haven’t watched it. I’d rather stick forks in my eyes to be honest. We’ll learn nothing. Besides we already know neither of them are fit for high office – much less the highest elected office in the land. Whatever the result, we’re doomed to mediocrity and incompetence until the next General Election. Oh, joy…
Instead, I’m going to leave you with the picture of the day which is from my woodland walk earlier today. Welcome to Scarr woods!
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My usual apologies for the lack of blogging recently but Dawn and I have been busy with other more mundane domestic issues (like a boiler playing up) as well as juggling the work/life balance and some social activities too. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve actually enjoyed the break although I’ve now got a backlog of spleen-venting stuff I want to blog about as well as some railway subjects.
Blogging’s not the only thing I’ve been neglecting. My exercise regime has gone to pot this week too – but that’s mainly been down to the weather. The week began with record temperatures but ended with several days of persistent rain – today being a case in point. That said, we’ve been in desperate need of a downpour or two as the last few months have been terribly dry so I’m not going to object. Besides, being more housebound has allowed the pair of us to plan trips for the future and fill out the diaries. Today we booked a long overdue holiday. Unlike me, poor Dawn’s not left this septic isle since a group of us went to Bruge, Belgium in October 2019. Today, Dee researched and booked us a fortnight in Rhodes for the beginning of October which will be much needed after the end of a very hectic couple of months. In the meantime, I’ve a couple of trips to Germany planned plus a week travelling around Britain for my bi-annual tour for RAIL magazine – as well as several press visits to various locations (including HS2 sites). Oh, and then we’re into the awards ceremony season. We’ll be at both the National Rail Awards and then our very own Community Rail Awards. So you can see why I’m not too bothered about having had (for me) a quiet week!
Another amusement whilst I’ve been home-based has been watching Brexiters performing every mental gymnastic under the sun to pretend the shit-show at the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkstone has absolutely *nothing* to do with Brexit – which is a fabulous success according to them. Well actually, they don’t even try and claim that anymore. All they’re doing now is blaming everyone else (the French, ‘remoaners’ for not ‘believing’ in Brexit – as if believing in Unicorns make them real – and anyone else they can pass the buck to) rather than accepting responsibility for the mess of their own creation.
Have you ever heard of ‘led by donkeys’? They’re a group who’ve done some stunning videos that excoriate the Tory Government, Boris Johnson and the Brexit fundamentalists. Their latest one is from the queues into Dover and it’s a stunner, You can view it here. Hung by their own words….
Tomorrow we start a new week and I’m determined to get back into my stride (and travels) although the week will began as it ended – at home. I expect to get back into my blogging stride too. In the meantime, here’s an end of week picture of the day. This is from a previous visit to Greece, a country I used to spend a lot of time in but where I’ve not been back to since 2009. Here’s the town of Hora on the island of Naxos, seen at sunset on the 28th September 2001.
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It’s been a very different day here at Bigland Towers. I’ve spent the vast majority of it glued to my office as the past couple of days have been taken up with judging my last categories in the Community Rail awards and having a Zoom call with fellow judges to settle the shortlist for the picture competition. We’ve had a huge number of entries this year (and some excellent ones too) which has meant its been a long process. I’ve gone through 50 plus entries this week alone. It’s hard work but it’s also inspiring. Getting to learn about the amazing work some of the station friends, other groups and individuals are doing is a real privilege. The awards are in Manchester in October and looking through the shortlists I’m sure it going to be an amazing event.
To be honest, it’s been a good day to be stuck indoors. The weather has changed here in the Calder Valley. We’ve had low cloud with sporadic outbreaks of light but persistent rain all day. This has brought welcome relief to the valley’s plant life which was really beginning to suffer after such a long dry spell compounded by record temperatures over the last few days. Hopefully now we’ll see some of the lushness reappear as the place was really starting to looked singed around the edges.
Talking of being singed, have any of you been following the twists and turns of the Tory leadership contest? They’re absolutely bonkers! The MPs have plumped for Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss – a suicide ticket if ever there was one! I can only hope Truss wins as she’s so unutterably vacuous it won’t take her long to destroy what’s left of the party’s credibility – and apparently she’s the favourite amongst party members – which says a lot about how disconnected from reality the members are! Watching the two of them trying to out Thatcher Thatcher and place themselves as her heir might appeal to the batshit membership, but it ain’t going to go down well in the swathes of the country where Thatcher’s name is still spat out as an expletive. Areas that have never forgiven her for the decimation of traditional industries – like the old mining areas which formed the ‘red wall’ that switched to the Tories in 2019 and voted for Johnson. Frankly, the Tory party has lost its mind. But that’s what happens when it becomes infiltrated by UKIP and the far-right and picks candidates not for their brains but for their adherence to the new dogma of Brexit – and nothing else. Britain is about to be governed by either a millionaire (married to someone even richer than he is) who has no allegiance to the UK and who famously admitted in an interview he knows no working class people and turned up on a building site wearing £500 Prada loafers – or someone who can’t even be trusted to find her way out of the room she launched her election campaign in – despite only having entered the room 10 minutes before!
I really don’t know whether laugh or cry. God knows what our European neighbours make of this farce. The idea that we’re going to be governed by this clown-show for the next few years is unbelievable – but it’s real. Can you imagine the nonentities Truss will fill her Cabinet with, because the last thing she’ll want is to appoint anyone who can outshine her, which rules out anyone competent and capable of a coherent thought.
Anyway, this theater of the absurd will play out until September (God help us all) so I suspect I’ll be spleen-venting on a regular basis for the foreseeable as it’s the only way I’ll be able to cope…
Meanwhile here’s the picture of the day – which has nothing at all to do with politics – I promise! Here’s a picture from Bradford in September 2019, when we were enjoying the last days of the summer. I suspect we’ll be seeing many more scenes like this in the future.
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The Noel Coward song ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ has been playing in my head for much of the day. Not that I was mad enough to go out in the midday sun – I’d plenty of work to do so stayed indoors until after 14:00, by which time the temperature here in the Calder Valley had hit an amazing 37 degrees. When I did venture out for a walk it was like stepping into an oven after sheltering indoors. Dawn had kept the house cool by keeping the windows closed and the curtains drawn – which made a huge difference. I’d foolishly opened my office window but soon learned the error of my ways! The woods around the house provided shade and a break from the heat but walking along the roads to get to them was hot, hot, hot! Thankfully, a breeze sprang up in the afternoon which began to take the edge of the heat. Then, by late afternoon cloud cover rolled in and noticeably reduced the temperature. Even so, some of our neighbour’s front gardens had turned ‘crispy’ and desiccated in the heat. I’d managed to save most of ours due to persistent watering but it was a close-run thing.
Now the heat’s subsided and we’re looking forward to more normal temperatures returning. But the picture is grim. Wildfores happened around Doncaster which is not what you expect in Yorkshire. East of London’s suffered badly too. Despite what the muppets on social media are saying, this is no ‘ordinary’ summer and to try and pass it off as another 1976 is just an excuse to ignore the science. Climate Change is real – and it’s happening. Now.
Looking at the nonsense posted by the deniers I’m struck by how many tick nearly every right-wing box. If you drew a Venn diagram of climate-change deniers, brexiters and anti-vaxxers you wouldn’t be far off a perfect circle. I sometimes wonder if the human race is just too stupid to survive. Some people’s ability to ignore or dismiss empirical evidence and science is breathtaking, but then if you’ve ever watched the film ‘don’t look up’ you’ll understand the problem. No doubt many will keep fiddling whilst the planet burns, but I hope enough folks wake up before it’s too late. I won’t be around to see the worst that human stupidity may bring, but it doesn’t stop me caring.
On that pessimistic note I’ll go straight to the picture of the day which is another old slide showing the beauty of the world we seem so determined to screw up. I took this picture at Lake Maninjau, Sumatra in 1992. One day I’ll get back here – before we screw it all up…
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Today’s the first of two where much of England is expected to suffer from unprecedented heatwaves. Schools and businesses are shutting up shop and people are being advised not to travel. Many railway companies are running emergency timetables and reduced services. So, what’s it going to be like?
I’m abandoning the relative cool of the Calder Valley to find out by heading into Manchester for a few hours, documenting what I find and explore one outpost of that cities railways which will have a very visible change because of the heat – but more of that later…
Right now I’m on a busy 3-car Class 195 working the 08:23 Sowerby Bridge to Chester service. Northern have knocked out the Wigan North Western trains which has left us with just this hourly service to Manchester.
Despite the fact the temperature was still in the 20s the unit’s air-conditioning was struggling already – even though this is a modern train. I hate to think how the old BR built class 158s are coping. Their a/c has always had a reputation for unreliability.
Even though the journey was a tad warm we got to Manchester without issue. Victoria station was quieter than usual but that was hardly surprising as so many services had been cancelled due to the weather.
I didn’t hang around as I’d other plans. Instead I enjoyed a leisurely stroll across to Piccadilly, arriving just in time to connect with one of the trains that were the reason for my visit.
Due to the expected high temperatures electric trains on the Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield triangle had been replaced by two pairs of Class 150 DMUs. The reason for that is the overhead equipment on these lines is ancient! The route was originally to be electrified by the London and North Eastern Railway but the advent of World War Two stopped the project. It was completed by British Railways in the mid 1950s using 1,500 volts DC. This lasted until after closure of the Woodhead line and the demise of the old Class 506 units that plied the route. The line was then converted to the standard 25kv AC but most of the original kit was kept. This included the triple wire system where the contact wire is slung from a secondary support wire. Also, unlike modern systems, there’s no mechanism (such a weights or torsion springs) to keep the wires at the correct height in the heat. This used to be a problem on the Great Eastern Main Line where it wasn’t unknown for the wires to drop so much they almost touch the rails!
The solution here has been to turn the overhead lines off and run diesel instead – a rare sight.
13:20.
Having got the pictures around Glossop and Dinting I wanted I decided to quit whilst I was ahead as temperatures were rising. I made one last stop at Broadbottom then caught a train to Piccadilly. Talk about serendipity! A few minutes after arriving it was announced all services to/from Piccadilly were suspended due to overhead line damage! The only exception being Buxton line trains. I’m now making my way back to Victoria to head home before any more disasters befall the network…
14:00.
I never thought I’d appreciate the stygian gloom of Manchester Victoria’s through platforms, entombed underneath the arena, but on a sweltering day like this they’re just the ticket! I’m waiting for the 14:04 to Blackburn as it’ll get me the right side of the Pennines as far as Todmorden, so if anything else breaks I have other options for getting home. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start editing pictures en-route.
14:50.
Getting the train to Todmorden was a good choice. The pair of 150s were quiet so I had time and space to get some editing done in order to upload pictures later. Now I’m basking whilst waiting for my late running connection – but at least it’s running! The heat’s certainly building and I’m looking forward to getting home and having a shower. Carrying my camera bag in this weather certainly gives you a workout!
17:00.
Despite delays to my train due to the heat I made it home without further incident, although the walk back home made me appreciate the sun’s intensity – it was hot! I was so grateful for the breeze that struck me as crested the hill to begin dropping down to home and the Calder valley. Now I’ve had chance to have a shower and cool down here’s some pictures from today.
150110 brings up the rear of 2G49, the 1014 Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly as it crosses the Dinting viaduct. The age of much of the overhead wires on these lines is evident in the picture. 150143 and 150146 cross the Dinting viaduct whilst working 2G50, the 1044 Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly.Seen from below 150110 and 150123 approach Dinting station whilst working 2G11, the 1103 Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield. 150110 and 150123 call at Dinting station with 2G52, the 1144 Hadfield to Manchester Piccadilly.A Network Rail engineer checks the temperature of rails at Manchester Piccadilly this afternoon. Before he could slap any speed restrictions on all services were brought to a halt for another reason – the overhead wires!
UPDATE (17:45).
From the cool of my office I’ve just been checking real time train info and whilst it seems that Manchester Piccadilly did reopen all Hadfield services have been cancelled since 1330. I had a lucky escape! The wires sagged too far at Gorton, meaning all Northern and TPE services via Guide Bridge were either cancelled or diverted to other routes. You’ll be able to find a larger selection of pictures in this gallery from tomorrow (Tuesday) as I’m not tempting fate two days in a row – tomorrow I’m staying at home…
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As the country gears up (or not) for the predicted heatwave over the past few days we’ve had a ‘phoney war’ sort of day here in the Pennines. Temperatures have risen but we’ve had a reassuring breeze and thin cloud that’s kept the thermometers in check. Oh, the sun’s still been strong when it’s been out but few people have been reduced to staying out of the sun altogether.
The pair of us went walking down in to Sowerby Bridge earlier to pick up some shopping, get a few steps in and also enjoy the time out. The place was hardly packed but you could seen that pubs with beer gardens were certainly doing a steady trade as people made the most of the conditions. We didn’t linger long, just enough time for a swift drink before a walk along the canal and a climb through the woods to get home.
The forecast is that the heat will start hitting us tomorrow, but as we’re over 140 metres above sea level on the side of a Pennine valley we’re not going to cop for crazy temperatures the way folks to the East and West are predicted to – but we’ll see. I suspect much of tomorrow will be spent sat up on our terrace baking – or hiding indoors and getting some work done! I have to admit, I’m a sun worshipper. Having spent so much time in the tropics I’m more used to extremes than some. My concern is more what these extreme temperatures mean for the planet rather then my melanin. The next few days will tell. They’ll certainly cause some fun for out transport network including the railways as we’re not set up for this. Railway track is stressed to expand/contract within certain parameters. This weather will surpass those, which is why people are warned not to travel – although I suspect I will be doing so as part of my job – to record the effects.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is the view across the Calder Valley from above our house taken earlier today.
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Apologies for the fact my blogging has become a bit scrappy of late. There’s been a number of reasons for that which include a lack of time and also inclination. Part of me wants to sit down and do some serious spleen-venting at the state of British politics and the whole shit-show that is the Tory party leadership contest where people are falling over themselves to appeal to the narrowest section of the British electorate – Tory party members, who’re mostly pale, male and stale – not to mention completely out of touch with the real world. Let’s face it, the days of a ‘one-nation’ Tory party are long gone. Johnson saw to that. Now they’ve morphed into UKIP. The contestants lining up for a shot at the job of PM have nothing to offer the country. They’re not interested in the troubles of the country, they’re only interested in what they have to say to get the votes of party members to get the top job and satisfy their own personal ambitions. Whoever wins, it will end badly, because none of them have any sense of the mess they’ve made of running the country these past 12 years – or how to dig us out of the mire they’ve sunk us in. Laughably, some of them talk of a ‘new start’, completely forgetting any new start isn’t them, it’s just swapping one liar for another. At some point my spleen will have to be vented before it does me damage, but right now I have other things to think about closer to home, which includes navigating my way through the economic shit-show these jokers have helped get us into.
Oh, and there’s still trying to enjoy life whilst I can. No, really!
Meanwhile, here in the Calder Valley the idea that we’re about to see record temperatures in the next few days seems rather far-fetched. The past few days have been noticeably cooler and windier than late, but I’m not letting that lull me into a false sense of security. We may escape the worst of the heatwave that’s coming up here in the Pennines but there’s no doubt that the climate’s changing – for the worse. Sadly, far too many people don’t seem to understand what this means for the future, it’s all seen as a bit of a joke, just another laugh about the weather. I suspect some people won’t be laughing come Wednesday…
We really do need to start waking up to the realities of climate change, but then I look at the way sections of the media downplay it – and then there’s one of the main contenders for the Tory leadership (Mordant) receiving funding from climate-change deniers and I start to wonder if the human race hasn’t had its day. We have the largest brain of any primate – yet so many of us refuse to use them! All I can say is that I’m glad I’m the age that I am and that I got to see so many beautiful places on planet Earth as I doubt my youngest nephews and nieces will have that privilege as those places will be unrecognisable.
Yep, you’ve guessed it – I’m in a pensive mood. I’ll not detain you any longer – it is Friday night after all. Instead, I’ll leave you with the picture of the day, which is of another far gentler primate to us – but one that’s increasingly under threat from its ‘brainer’ cousin. I took this picture of a mother Orang Utan with her baby in Sumatra in August 1998. Since then we’ve buggered up even more of the jungles they live in…
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Paul Bigland 