After yesterday’s travels and exhausting time today’s been a quiet one here at Bigland Towers. I’ve remained home-based. Scribbling for a living as well as editing many of the pictures from yesterday’s travels. You can find a selection of those images in the following galleries.
The HS2 site visit pictures remain in the editing queue. Hopefully they’ll get done at the weekend.
The weather’s picked up here in the Pennines with temperatures climbing and the sun returning, which has been rather frustrating when I’m stuck behind a desk but that’s life. Hopefully I’ll be free of the office again shortly as I need to catch up with some commissions as there’s a lot going on at the moment.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with another picture from the visit to the HS2 tunnel site at Bromford, which might appeal to construction geeks.
What is it you might ask? Well, it’s a mobile shuttering system. This is used as formwork to allow the baffles around the rail tracks that will mask and dissipate the piston-effect and noise from the high speed trains as they exit the tunnel. It runs on rails so can be moved along once it’s cast a section of the baffle. Clever, eh?
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Another day with a silly o’ clock start so that I can get to Birmingham in time to join a press trip. Today I’ll be mostly running on coffee! The first precious cup is by the side of my desk as I type this. I’m all packed and ready to head off to catch the first train of the day (literally) as I’ll be on the 05:45 from Halifax to Manchester, which is the days opening service through the Calder valley. A quick check on ‘Real Times Trains’ whilst I’m sipping coffee tells me that the service is running and is made up of a pair of Class 195/0’s so at least the first leg will be comfortable. The 2nd leg is shown as a 4-car Voyager, so maybe not so much! Feel free to see how the day pans out as I’ll be sharing words and pictures from my visit to one of the latest HS2 tunnels – and more…
05:40.
This mornings stroll to the station as rather pleasant. Mild weather and no wind mad for a very still trip. Te ony other creatures stirring were cats. I passed several that were making their morning rounds. Just before I arrive at the station the ran started although it wasn’t heavy enough to dampen me or my spirits. Now I’m sat on a deserted platform, listening to the classical music that’s piped over the tannoy this time of day.
By the time the train arrived there were six souls waiting to be carried Westwards joining the handful already aboard.
195023 leads the 05:45…
06:10.
We’ve crossed the Pennines and called at Littleborough, where several people were waiting. For once, traversing the hills hasn’t made the slightest difference to the weather. It’s wet and miserable both sides!
06:15.
As usual, there was plenty of trade for this train at Rochdale. Several dozen people were huddled under the canopy or umbrellas awaiting our arrival. This car’s now half-full. Not bad for the time of day.
07:15.
My arrival into Manchester coincided with a cessation of the rain that had followed me all the way from Halifax, making my amble across the city much more pleasant. Dawn was breaking along with signs that the heavy grey clouds would clear, leaving behind a rather nice day.
Despite the time of day, Manchester Piccadilly was buzzing, with queues at all the coffee shops. I’d plenty of time and managed to grab a Pret coffee without stressing. My next train sat in platform 6 with passengers already gathered, waiting for the doors to be released. I was surprised to see just how busy the departing Pendolino in the opposite platform was, showing why this is a 20 minute frequency service.
I’ve taken up residence in the front car of 220002. After picking up passengers at Stockport it’s over half full already. I expect it’ll be packed by the time we get to Birmingham, so I’m going to make the most of the space whilst I have it.
08:55.
So far so good. I made it to Birmingham on time and connected with the 08:52 to Leicester which is running a couple of minutes late. This was the train I couldn’t afford to miss as it’s the only one that stops at Water Orton for the next two hours!
10:45.
We’re all on site and getting site safety briefings and background on the work going on here. It’s a massive site with a lot going on. This is the location of the headhouse which is the halfway point of the tunnel.
For those who’re wondering, adits are the cross passages between the two HS2 tunnel bores.
16:00.
I’m back! It’s been a busy day.The site visit took much longer than expected due to the number present and the fact the national media and local MP (Liam Byrne) attended. Here’s the first few pictures. I’ll add captions later.
One of the Tunnel Boring Machine service vehicles loaded with a full ring of tunnel lining segments. Looking along the Bromford box towards the delta junction. Inside one of the tunnels. This is the bore that the new machine ‘Mary Ann’ has reached the half-way mark on.
17:45.
Homeward bound. Having left Birmingham to travel via Derby and Sheffield I’m now on the leg to Leeds aboard another Cross-Country Voyager. At least on this one I’ve managed to get a seat. The trip from Brum to Derby was standing room only. The irony is not lost on me that this journey replicates HS2 phase 2B to Leeds, the section cancelled by that lying, unkempt bag of custard, Boris Johnson. Now (for who knows how long) this is as good as it gets. Whilst the rest of the world builds their high speed networks, we’re masters of dither and delay…
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/
Bank holiday over it’s back to the grindstone, although I have to admit I’ve not been feeling that energised today. Perhaps it’s the weather, which has remained miserable. Summer was all too brief. It seems to have consisted of a few days whilst I was away on my rover – and that was it. Today’s best described as dismal. That mixture of low light and scattered showers where you really can’t plan much – especially in this part of the world where national forecasts fall foul of local conditions.
Still, I’ve managed to get some stuff done – including getting my daily exercise, household chores and writing a few words, plus preparing for tomorrows trip to the West Midlands, although that’s going to be an exercise in itself. I have to be East of Birmingham by 09:00, which is a bit of a stretch from Halifax. It means I’ll be on the first train of the day at 05:45. That should be fun…
As I’ve got to be up at sparrow-fart I’ll bid you adieu. Expect a rolling blog tomorrow and ‘behind the scenes’ pictures from a visit to an HS2 construction site, plus all the usual travails getting to and from anywhere on the national rail network. Never let it be said that I gloss over the realities.
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. I won’t have chance to re-acquaint myself with this particular Tunnel Boring Machine (seen here in 2022) but I will be seeing what it’s up to – and how far it’s got.
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 en-route from Marylebone to the Chilterns to vist a couple of HS2 railway construction sites after a convivial night in London where I joined in the celebrations for an old friend’s daughter’s birthday.
Both of us had to be up early this morning as Hassard had a meeting in Birmingham and me an appointment in Bucks. Getting across Lond was made slightly more difficult (for Hassard especially) as the Victoria line had suffered a ‘one under’ earlier. We ended up parting company at Waterloo where I caught one of the capitals oldest tube trains (Bakerloo line) to Marylebone. It wasn’t a bad journey as at that time of day I was swimming against the tide.
The Bakerloo line is fine – when you’re heading in the opposite direction to everyone else! Marylebone with one of a pair of Class 68s that have brought morning commuters into the capital.
I’m ahead of time, so I’ll be able to get a couple more shots of Chiltern line services before I meet up with the small gang of press people for today’s visit. I’ll blog throughout the day as and when I can, because the plan is to get a lift with a friend and colleague on the return so that we can stop off at another couple of locations en-route. Stay tuned…
10:15.
A quick teaser shot. Here’s how the HS2 trace West of Wendover looks now.
17:00.
I’m back!
Sorry I’ve not had chance to blog before now but we’ve been rather busy climbing up and down stairs and admiring the HS2 viaducts South of Wendover. We visited both the Small Dean and Wendover Dean viaducts which are in various stages of construction – as you’ll see from the pictures I’ll be uploading shortly.
After our visit Chris Howe and I drove up to Calvert to see progress and East-West rail and HS2 before heading off to Winslow, where we took some pictures of the new EWR station, which is complete and waiting the start of passenger services
Chris dropped me off at Banbury, where I caught a Cross-Country service heading for Birmingham. Now I have some time to download pictures and begin blogging again, so expect more updates shortly. The weather’s been kind so there’s plenty of pictures to show you.
The steel structure of the Small Dean viaduct is being assembled on site. It will be pushed out over the supporting piers next February. The Southern pier of the Small Dean viaduct under construction. Looking South along the course of the Small Dean viaduct. In the picture are the Chiltern railway to Aylesbury with the A413 beyondThe Wendover Dean viaduct bridge push is complete. Here’s the view looking North.Winslow station. Just waiting for services to start…
19:00.
I’m well on the way home now. Having changed trains at Birmingham New St I swapped a Voyager for an Edinburgh bound Pendolino which will carry me to Warrington Bank Quay. The train’s very busy in the booked coaches but unreserved coach U only has a handful of travellers. I’ve grabbed a table bay, set up the mobile office and managed to upload some pictures from today’s adventures for your delectation. I’ve had to use my phone data connection as the onboard wifi isn’t up to the job. Any job!
19:18.
The curse has struck again, and we were doing so well! My train is currently stuck in Crewe station for some unknown reason. We were due to leave at 19:09 but it sounds like there’s a failed train ahead of us, so we’re being kept in the station. Ho hum…
20:45.
Plan B. I abandoned the idea of connecting with a Halifax train at Warrington as getting off at Crewe seemed like a better idea than tempting fate on the tow track main line towards Weaver Junction. A look through my options suggested that heading for Manchester would be a better bet. I’d opted to catch Avanti’s 20:10 to Piccadilly but even that’s running 15 down. Still, I’m on the move again and heading in the right direction! When will I get home? Who knows!
My enforced sojourn at Crewe wasn’t entirely wasted as the place was full of trains new and old. Avanti had a number of their Class 805s hanging around – either on services or training, so that was useful. West Midlands were the same with some of their new Class 730s. It’s allowed me to get a few extra pictures in the library anyway.
This Avanti service is much busier than the Edinburgh train I abandoned, but it does have one advantage. The wifi’s working. That said, it’s swings and roundabouts. On the last Pendolino the sockets were working but the wifi wasn’t. On this set that position’s reversed!
21:45.
The last leg…
Having hot foot it across a rainy Manchester and having just missed a train by a couple of minutes I’m now on Northern’s 21:36 to Leeds which will take me home to Sowerby Bridge. Worked by a 3-car Class 158 it’s hardly the busiest of trains this time of the week, but It’ll do me! Dawn’s offered to pick me up from the station so I don’t have to make the final slog uphill by foot. I’ve walked just under 10 miles today so I’m happy to bank that and get home without receiving a soaking.
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/
In contrast to the past couple of days which has been mostly about new trains, today’s visit is going to be about building bridges – HS2 style. I won’t say just where yet, but all will be revealed soon. But first I’ve got to to to where I’m going, which means a cross-London journey from here in Clapham then a trip along the Chiltern line…
07:42.
The weather’s so good this morning I was up and out early in order to bank some time (and pictures en-route). Here’s how the changing skyline of Clapham Junction looks.
08:40.
Having arrived at Victoria I took a trip on the tube line of the same name as far as Oxford Circus where I changed to the antique line – sorry – the Bakerloo line, which operates the oldest and most decrepit trains on the network.
Now I’m at Marylebone, waiting for my next train. The station’s celebrating its 125th birthday this year so is decked out with bunting as a consequence. Not that many in the constant ebb and flow of passengers seem to notice!
At least the trains aren’t 125 years old…
14:30.
Mind the gap! Sorry about that. I’ve only just left the HS2 Thame valley viaduct site. My tour of the structure was extensive so and I was so engrossed in taking pictures and writing notes there was no time to blog.
This particular viaduct is 880 meters long. It’s a low lying structure that will carry HS2 over a flood-plain. I was here ladt year to see some of the first prefabricated concrete beams being installed. There’s been a lot of progress since.
One of two central piers in the viaduct. the poles and pile cap are far bigger as it from here the viaduct is tensioned and dynamic forces transferred. The 880m long viaduct can expand up to 450mm in each direction from these points.
Now, large sections of the viaduct are in place and progress is being made with installing the prefabricated concrete plants which form the bed of the deck. I’ll describe it in far more detail later.
15:15.
On my way back to London I couldn’t resist making a quick stop at Wendover, where the station is very close to some of the HS2 trace. Despite the claims of some residents HS2 construction doesn’t dominate the village as it’s on the opposite side of the noisy and busy A413. Since my last visit there’s been a number of changes. One road which is at the Northern portal of the ‘green’ tunnel’s been diverted over a new bridge spanning the trace. This bridge privides an excellent vantage point to follow construction of the route Northwards.
The bridgeThe view from the bridge.
A short walk away is a footpath and the infamous memorial woods that anti HS2 protesters like Mark Keir lied about, claiming it was dedicated to dead children (it wasn’t) and it was being torn-up up by HS2 and ‘desecrated’ (it wasn’t). I covered their disgraceful, lying campaign in this blog at the time. In fact, the wood’s in rude health. I popped in and took this shot.
Meanwhile, the footpath to the South just past the memorial wood affords this view which is looking down the valley to the viaducts that cross the A413 and also Wendover Dean. Notice how the scenic nature of the valley has been ‘destroyed’ by HS2. Oh, hang on – what are those metal pylons – and how long have they been there?
23:00.
Time to bring today’s blog to a close. The weather here in London’s been lovely. Eating alfresco has returned to the streets of Clapham and the place has been buzzing. It seemed a shame to waste the eveing so the pair of us nipped out for a couple of beers to enjoy the atmosphere, but now it’s time to prepare for tomorrow which includes another early start with the pair of us travelling North together as far as Derby. Watch this space…
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’ll be honest, when I first heard that Huw Merriman the Tory MP for Bexhill and Battle since 2015 had been appointed Minister of State for Rail and HS2 back in October 2022 I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, He’d been a member of the Transport Select Committee since September 2017 so was well versed in the issues. Then, in January 2020 he’d been appointed Chair of the TSC and seemed to make a pretty good fist of it. He was intelligent and balanced, grasped the issues and managed to keep idiots like his fellow Tory MP Greg Hands (the virulently anti HS2 MP for Bucks) under control.
Sadly, as soon as he was appointed to the Government, the Tory Borg chip was implanted and he was assimilated.
Merriman in 2022. Enthusiastically backing HS2 all the way right until his boss did a volte face – and so did Merriman…
Telling the truth gave way to Owellian ‘Truthspeak’ – as today’s example shows. Merriman attended the opening of the rebuilt Dore and Totley station on the Hope Valley line which has being rebuilt. Here are his utterly BS tweets.
Jesus, where to start? Success? The December timetable has been delayed. There are no extra trains. When there are they’ll be limited to one extra train per hour because further work needs to be done at Manchester and Sheffield to provide capacity. The irony? Both of those locations were due to have capacity added by the very thing Merriman’s boasting about funds being diverted from – HS2.
Oh, the diverted funds bit is utter horseshit too (and Merriman knows it). You see, the Hope Valley upgrade was given funding in 2021, something that seems to have slipped Merriman’s mind – despite his time on the TSC. Here’s the DfT’s press release from that year announcing the work.
Claiming this is a ‘Network North’ project is complete bollocks. A fag packet would be embarrassed to have had this so-called plan drawn up on it. A ‘plan’ which dates from November 2023 – when Rishi Sunak unilaterally decided to cancel HS2 phases 2a and 2b. Y’know – the bits that were meant to deliver ‘levelling up’. The claim that this fictional money (which wasn’t due to be borrowed until 2029) has funded a project started in 2021 shows how Merriman and his boss (Sunak) are gaslighting people – and how Merriman is happy to promulgate a lie. Yeah, I know – he’ll pull the usual pained face he does when he’s caught out. But make no mistake, this is a lie.
Oh, I forgot. Electrification of the Hope Valley? Dream on! That was never a priority in anyone’s plans. It was added to ‘Network North’ ‘cos whoever wrote on the back of that particular fag-packet hadn’t checked real priorities. Of course, it’s pure co-incidence that some of the projects that did get a mention (like the Stocksbridge branch) go through Tory marginals and ‘red wall’ seats, honest! By the way, remember, this is written on the bottom of page 24 of the NN fag-packet plan.
So, what’s the business case for Hope Valley electrification? There isn’t one. And, if there was, it’s been hopelessly compromised by the scrapping of HS2 East and West.
How are any of Merriman’s boasted about improvements going to be delivered before the next general election? They’re not. Nothing’s going to happen at all. The Tories are taking you for fools. Are you going to fall for it again? I won’t. I gave Merriman the benefit of the doubt. As the old saying goes, ‘fool me once’…
A pair of East Midlands Railway DMUs pass through the Hope Valley in September 2023
I’ll leave you with this famous quote from a Russian writer and dissident which sums up the state of Tory politics right now.
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/
Bugger, I have ‘man flu’. I woke up in the early hours with a throat that felt like I’d been gargling with sandpaper. After a restive night I decided a day of rest was in order. As a precaution the flag over Bigland Towers is flying at half-mast and we’ve painted a red cross on the front door. This time it’s Dawn’s turn to wear the nurses uniform. Mind you, it fits her far better than me – especially the stockings…
Whilst I’ve taken to my sick-bed I’ve not entirely given up the ghost and I’m continuing sorting out bits and bobs in-between having my fevered brow mopped. My Zenfolio website’s been updated with all the pictures from the last week’s travels and events which you can find in the following galleries.
There’s still plenty of pictures for me to sort out as well as writing for a living which I’ll be doing later. What I’m not doing is listening to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt deliver his latest budget. I heard enough flannel and buzzword bingo (“hard choices”…”growing the economy” etc) from him in person on Monday.
Insert own caption here…
I’ll wait for the expert analysis which always picks up what matters but is never mentioned in his speech. Judging from the reactions I’ve seen so far, the idea that this budget is going to somehow improve the Tories electoral chances and ‘shift the dial’ of their piss-poor performance in the polls is a forlorn hope. Just like when you grow up and stop believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, voters have stopped believing in the Tories – at last! Now we have to wait to see if Sunak will call a May election. The last day on which he can do that is when Parliament goes into recess on the 27th March. There’s no point in trying to second-guess him as that’s applying logic to a man who’s proved to be immune to logical though and decision-making.
On that same lack of logic vein, I’ve been amused to see how the far-right English racists have embraced AI on social media – always with unintentionally hilarious results as what most of ’em actually know about English (never mind British) history could fit on the back of a postage stamp. As for their lack of fluency (both written and oral) in their mother-tongue – or dear! Here’s an absolute classic, but not untypical of the genre as they do love cosplaying Crusaders…
What’s so funny here is that the Knights Templar were actually French! Oh, and only 10% of them were actually knights. So what this buffoon is really calling for is a million people marching through London led by Frenchmen! It’s not gonna happen. Wetherspoons could never cope with the rush, and as for trying to pee through chainmail after twelveteen pints of foreign lager…
Needless to say, the best of British humour has been deployed in spoofing these idiotic IA images, with producing some absolute corkers featuring (amongst other things) knights and lions, golf and Greggs!
Right, one last thing before I go. As it’s another month I’ve restocked my eBay account with more railway memorabilia and old slides for sale. You can find it here. This is a sample of one of the new additions.
See you tomorrow – if the ‘man flu’ hasn’t seen me off!
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/
After a lovely evening in Clapham where I spent time with Irish friends on an Internet chat group it’s time to come back to the real world and head off to the Chilterns to record a major event in the construction of High Speed 2. Today, the one of the two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will break-through and complete the first of the two 10 mile long Chiltern tunnels and I’m privileged to have been invited along to witness it. But first I’ve got to get across London and out to Great Missenden.
Here’s how the South portal of the tunnel looked in July 2021.
08:00.
My cross-London journey was stress free as I keft in plenty of time. Hassard had to be on the 07:15 from Euston so the pair of us were up early. I caught a train into Victoria then used the Circle and Bakerloo lines to get to Marylebone. I rarely use the underground nowadays, preferring to stick to national rail – or even walk. What a difference compared to when I lived here when I’d often spend several days a week traversing the tube. Some things haven’t changed, such as the ancient Bakerloo line stock which is well past its sell-by date. It’s a sad reflection on this Government’s priorities (they have some, other than being re-elected? Ed) that our capital city has such aged trains in daily service with no sign of replacements.
Now I’m making my way on younger stock, the 1992 built ‘Thames Turbos” to Great Missenden.
09:20.
On the way..
10:08.
In position…
10:20.
There’s a real party atmosphere here. HS2’s set up a barbecue area and staff who’ve been working on the project are taking selfies in front of the tunnel.
11:27.
It’s here!
13:55.
Wow! What an amazing event and what a privilege to be part of it. I’ll add more pictures (and a video) this evening. The atmosphere was brilliant as workers from all around the world celebrated together. You can see the flags of the nations workers hail from either side of the TBM. The crew were Irish whilst the TBM ‘driver’ was a young Frenchwoman.
Right now I’m on my way back into London the slow way. Myself, Youtube star Geoff Marshall and Modern Railways Philip Sherratt were given a lift to the station at Great Missenden only to find no trains were running due to a track defect. Instead the minibus driver took us to Amersham where we caught a Met line.
18:45.
Homeward bound up the West Coast Main Line to Manchester after a long day and the mobile office is open and in full swing…
22:00.
Home again! It’s been a long old day so I’ll leave you with a last couple of pictures that I edited on the way home. There’s literally hundreds for me to edit over the next few days, so watch this space.
Breakthrough! After 3 years tunnelling 16km, ‘Florence’ emerges into the sunlight. The TBM crew pose on the cutting head after the machine had come to a halt. Now ‘Florence’ will be stripped down. What can be refurbished and reused in other TBMs will be, what can’t will be recycled as scrap.
And finally, a short video…
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/
Today, the Department of Transport tweeted this ridiculous claim.
I actually feel sorry for the civil servants at the DfT. They know this is a con but their political masters are using them to push Government (read Tory) propaganda out in an election year. This is a naked abuse of what the civil service is there for, but there’s no low this Government won’t stoop to – including politicising the civil service.
Why tweet this? There’s no supporting press release or announcement of anything happening on the DfT website, or through the DfT’s normal press releases, there’s just this tweet. So why put this out now? Oh, wait. Rishi Sunak was in North Wales yesterday on his pre-election campaign ‘grand tour’. What a co-incidence!
So, what’s happening with North Wales electrification, announced as being funded by scrapping Hs2 phase 2 by Sunak last years and included in the risible ‘Network North’ not even the back of a fag packet plan?
Nothing. Zip. Bugger all. Last month RAIL magazine carried an excellent article detailing why nothing is likely to happen before 2030. You can read it here.
For a start, the £1bn is a con. There’s no HS2 money to ‘release’. It doesn’t exist. It wasn’t due to be borrowed for years yet. It sure as hell isn’t say in a pot in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ that’s just waiting to be rebadged. It’s classic ‘jam tomorrow’ politics. Cancel something you *were* building that had a business case, planning permission and even spades in the ground and announce utter vapourware for sometime in the future instead.
Before a spade enters the ground in North Wales there needs to be a business case for the work. That doesn’t exist. There *was* one, but that dates from 2015 and is hopelessly out of date. That £1bn figure is assumed to be based on that now-defunct business case. Since then, construction costs have increased by roughly 7% per annum – meaning that there’d be no spare change from £1.5bn.
As you can see, the project exists on in the imagination. It’s not included in Network Rail’s future plans and budget which is known as CP7. Control Period 7 runs from April 2024 to March 2029.
The truth is, there’s not a cat in hell’s chance of ANY work planning/consultations being done before the next General Election, which could come as early as May this year. As for actual spades in the ground – don’t make me laugh…
This is nothing but a dishonest and deceitful election con by Sunak and the Tories. Don’t fall for it – or him.
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/
Paul Bigland 