Tag Archives: Huddersfield

Rolling blog: The Chester caper…

09 Saturday Feb 2019

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Having survived this morning’s battering from storm ‘Eric’ (No, really, that’s what I told it was named!) I’m on the rails again today as I’m off to Chester to meet up for a meal and some drinks with many of the other folk who volunteer to run the Railway Children’s annual 3 peaks by rail event. We’re always so busy over the 3 days we don’t normally get chance, so – as there’s no train to run…

Despite the fact today’s Northern Rail strike was called off earlier in the week it’s not proved possible to reinstate a normal timetable, which has meant no Calder Valley services today. Instead Dawn was good enough to take time out and give me a lift to Huddersfield where I could catch Trans-Pennine Express service instead. I’m now aboard the 13:08, heading for Manchester – and it’s actually running to time!

Huddersfield station was rammed, I can only assume the local footy team are at home today. I still can’t get used to the sight of 100mph TPE Class 185s sitting in the platform used by Northern’s Manchester shuttles now that they’ve taken over most of the services. It’s lovely having a 185 instead of a 150, but I can’t help feeling it’s a mis-match of resources.

13:25.

This is my first trip across the Colne Valley route since returning from New Zealand. It’s interesting to see the precursors to the forthcoming route modernisation and electrification. Lineside vegetation received quite a prune last year, now new cable troughing is appearing – much of it elevated. I suspect I might be kept quite busy documenting the changes to the route over the next few years…

Meanwhile, on board my train is as busy as ever. Lots of folk are heading to Manchester for the weekend, including a couple of Geordie lasses sat opposite – one of whom has has had quite a bit of ‘work’ done. Blonde hair extensions? Check. ‘Trout pout? Check. Boob job displayed by a low top? Check. Trump ‘tan? Check. I’m sure they’ll have a wonderful time in the city!

Their replacement at Manchester Victoria was a portly middle-aged man carrying a plastic bag full of beercans but no sense of personal space or spatial awareness. He immediately spotted a lone woman in the vestibule whom he buttonholed, pouring out a life-story that included divorce, the inability to hold down a job and a persecution complex that includes the courts and the DWP. Luckily for her, he got off at the next stop, Oxford Rd. So did I as I’m changing the TfW’s 13:56 to Llandundo.

Despite the fact it’s a 3-car, it’s another busy train. There’s a few empty seats but some people, including myself, opt to stand. My excuse is that people-watching is more fun that way!

14:26

We’re just leaving Warrington Bank Quay where half the folk in my coach retrained, only to be replaced by an equal number of new folks. As we pulled away I was surprised to see a Colas liveried Class 60 (002) on a rake of Drax power station biomass hoppers. Isn’t that a GBRf operated service? Thanks to the power of social media I’ve now found out Colas flogged this loco to GBRf last year. I clearly don’t pay enough attention to fleet news these days!

16:11.

I’m now ensconced in Chester – and it’s packed! The station was busy enough, it’s on odd melange of old and new that doesn’t quite work due to the piecemeal nature of the improvements carried out over different decades. My personal belief is it needs a master plan redevelopment to turn it back into the gateway to the city it once was – and fix that leaky roof! Notice the mats and cones everywhere?

My hotel was only a few minutes walk away, which will be handy for tomorrow. It’s cheap and cheerful and in the throes of a refurbishment in the hands of new owners – which could account for the cheap!

As I wandered further into the city it was full of Saturday shoppers, gawkers and ordinary tourists. Here’s the view from the old city walls.

Despite the crowds it’s good to be back. I’ve fond memories of Chester stretching right back to the 1970s. I’d also forgotten what an interesting town it is due to the mix of architecture. Hopefully, tomorrows weather will permit me to get some pictures. In the meantime, here’s a couple of tasters.

Here’s some of our merry band dining at the Botanist in the city centre.

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Finally, after a very convivial evening, I managed to get a shot of the group before we headed off to our respective abodes.

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Saturday slow-down

04 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by in Huddersfield, Musings

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Today’s been a rail-free day. Well, free from actual trains anyway as the morning was taken up with editing many of the pictures I’d taken in Liverpool yesterday. I managed to get most of them on my Zenfolio website before Dawn and I were due in Huddersfield. As her brother’s up from Surrey with his son we’d arranged to all go to a bowling alley together with John and Norah, their parents, to make three generations of the Platt family (and me). I’ve not bowled for years – and that was a one off! The last time must have been 12-15 years ago at Finsbury Park in North London when I lived nearby.

Today I managed a reasonable score of 93. I still got beaten by Darren (Dawn’s brother) but all six of us had a thoroughly enjoyable hour. The alley was almost empty when we arrived and packed when we left. What I found interesting was how diverse it was. A group of young Sikh lads were playing in the next lane whilst next to them was a large Muslim family. To our left was a big English family. Ten Pin bowling seems to appeal to all regardless of age or community.

Now I’ve time to sun myself in the family garden and catch up on social media whilst Dawn makes (by popular request) one of her excellent cheesecakes. Darren and I are sloping off to meet some of his friends for a curry in Slaithwaite tonight. Despite having lived in Yorkshire these past 8 years it still amuses me the way no-one can agree how to pronounce the village’s name. Is it Slaithwaite or ‘Slawit’? It depends on who you talk to.

Expect some pictures to be added later. I took the camera bowling, just not my laptop…

Friday fun!

03 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Food and drink, Huddersfield, Railways, Travel

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I’ve no time for a full blog today, I’ve been flitting around too much and tonight I’m out with my wife’s family, so here’s the edited highlights as it were!

This morning I popped over to Liverpool to have a look at the rebuilt Lime St station. It’s impressive. This phase has concentrated on the really important stuff, tracks, platform extensions and signalling. Work’s still ongoing but all platforms bar one have reopened. At some point soon I’ll do a ‘then and now’ blog as I’ve pictures going back to the late 1980s which highlight how much things have changed. In the meantime, here’s a couple of shots from today.

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Looking back along the rebuilt platforms 3 and 4 (which used to be 4 and 5). The centre roads which were used for stabling trains have been torn up and the platform’s been widened

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The Southern extension of platforms 1 and 2 (formerly 2 and 3) has been built across former trackwork, meaning the single tunnel on the left only serves one platform.

DG304568. 350368. 150120. Liverpool Lime St. 3.8.18

The platforms nearest the camera are the new ones which occupy the site of the old taxi/parcels road which (until recently) occupied by the Virgin Trains lounge and waiting rooms.

I’ll add a lot more pictures from this outing to my Zenfolio website in the next few days. Right now I’m back in West Yorkshire at ‘ACoRP towers’ as this weekend it’s the Huddersfield food and drink festival (link). The event’s held on St George’s Sq, right outside the station. If you’ve never been I can really recommend it. Here’s a couple of pictures from earlier this evening.

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I’ve lots more to add but right now we’re off to one of our favourite restaurants, Thai Sakon.

 

Judgement day.

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by in ACoRP, Community rail, I love my job, Photography

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Today’s been another busy day but one where I’ve remained mostly static! I’ve been at the ACoRP office in Huddersfield judging tbe shortlist for the annual ACoRP awards photographic competition along with fellow judges Paul Abell (ex Editor of Today’s Railways) and Nik Slocombe of ACoRP. It’s been a tough morning as we whittled down some excellent entries to a shortlist of just 10. The standard’s been very high this year, which means we’ve got a fantastic shortlist, but some pictures that would normally be a shoo-in had to be rejected. The shortlisted pictures will be put on SurveyMonkey on Monday for people to vote on. I’ll add a link when I have it.

Afterwards I put my other judges hat on and sifted the entries for the ‘It’s your station’ category of the awards. Now the hard work begins as Paul Cook and I have 25 stations up and down the land to visit and interview the groups involved. What’s lovely to see is we’ve a mix of long-standing groups, some returnees – and some who’ve never entered before. Groups who’ve been shortlisted will start hearing from me over the weekend as I arrange the schedule of visits.

Now it’s time to take a break and enjoy the sunshine outside ACoRP towers!

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

Huddersfield hiatus

09 Wednesday May 2018

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I’m working from my satellite office in Huddersfield (aka the ACoRP watertower) today as we’ve a funeral to attend this afternoon. Sadly, Dawn’s Uncle, Ronnie has passed away. On the bright side, he lived to the ripe old age of 93 so he had a good innings.

Today’s another Northern rail strike day so the station’s far quieter than normal. The place is littered with Pacers going nowhere. I can’t help feeling these strikes are futile, all they’re doing is losing the railway revenue and goodwill. Passengers are caught between a rock and a hard place with the intransigence of the RMT union and the determination of the DfT. One wants change, the other opposes it. But change is inevitable, it will come whether the union likes it or not – as railway history teaches us. Whether it was arguments about ‘secondmen’ in the past, or new fleets like the ‘Bedpan’ Class 317s being ‘blacked’ over DOO.

Talking of change, I’ve spotted these new PIS screens at the station which have only recently been installed.

They’re far more informative and much easier to see than the old ones. I hope they’re more accurate as well as previous ones weren’t ‘real time’ which meant the delay times were always all over the place as trains often seemed to move backwards and forwards at the speed of light.

This time of day you’d normally expect the stabling sidings to be devoid of Northern stock. Here’s what it’s like now.

 

Holed up in Huddersfield

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Huddersfield, Rail Investment, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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I’m taking a break from working from home to base myself at ACoRP’s water tower office at Huddersfield station today as I’m being interviewed about my ‘Cycle India’ trip for their e-magazine ‘Train Online’, which will be appearing shortly.

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

Not bad for an office, is it?

It’s good to be able to stretch my (metaphorical) legs as the bad weather has left me a little ‘stir crazy’. My Indian adventure already feels like a dream, despite it only being a couple of weeks ago. At least the snow’s melting and the thermometer’s reaching a balmy 5 degrees today!

Sadly, there’s little of interest to photograph at the nearby station. The Colne valley route sees hardly any daytime freight traffic nowadays, partly due to the intensity of passenger services but also because most traffic has vanished. The ‘binliner’ services from Manchester which were the backbone of daytime freight traffic have ceased to run and the replacement service from Knowsley (Liverpool) to Wilton traverses the Calder Valley instead. The only regular service, the afternoon Leeds Hunslet to Tunstead cement tanks runs ‘as required’ on a Thursday – which means it’s unpredictable.

DG288370. 66620. Huddersfield. 5.1.18

On the 18th January this year, Freightliner’s 66620 heads West through Huddersfield with the only regular daytime freight service through the town, the Hunslet (Leeds) to Tunstead empty cement tanks.

Whilst there’s little freight, there’s a regular diet of Transpennine Express Class 185s shuttling across the Pennines, plus Northern 142s, 144s, 150s, 153s, 155s and 158s (and the occasional 156) pootling to and from Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield. A few Manchester services are extended to ‘exotic’ destinations farther afield such as Wigan and Southport, whilst one evening service via the Penistone line to Sheffield pitches up at Retford (of all places).

DG115650. 142050. Huddersfield. 20.6.12.

Soon to be heading for the scrapyard, a Northern Class 142 ‘Pacer’ leaves Huddersfield for Wakefield on the 20th June 2012

The railscene at Huddersfield will be considerably enlivened later this year when TPE start running Class 68’s hauling new Mk5 coaches built by CAF in Spain, adding yet another chapter to Yorkshire’s railways. Electrification of the route is due to begin in 2019 which will have a massive impact on the local network, so there’s lots to look forward to (and document) over the next few years.

Basing myself in a large town like Huddersfield’s a bit of a luxury for me when I’m ‘office based’ as it gives me the opportunity to nip out at lunchtime and shop without travelling far. As this is a busy university town there’s a better selection of shops than in humdrum Halifax. It also alters the demographic because there’s far more younger faces around during the day. I nipped out earlier to visit the indoor Queensgate market. I love the variety of Northern markets. Queensgate is a modern example, opened in 1970 it was built with a bespoke roof system of 21 asymmetric curved shells. The design allows maximum light into the market and it’s considered to be the best example still standing of a retail market from the 1960s-70s. Grade 2 listed, it’s a interesting mix of traditional and modern. Fruit and veg and butchers stalls rub shoulders with nail bars and Thai cafes, whilst shoe shops are cheek by jowl with vaping supplies.

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Inside Queensgate market.

 

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Thai food’s a popular option in a few markets in Yorkshire.

Unlike some towns, the number of empty shops hasn’t hit epidemic proportions, gutting. I passed several vacant properties which were being outfitted for new tenants, keeping the vibrancy of the centre alive. Long may that trend continue in these troubled times. Of course, there’s an irony in this. Without immigration, there’d be a damned sight more empty shops. A significant proportion of convenience stores are run by people from Europe or Asia – as are many restaurants and fast food outlets. How they’ll fare in a post-Brexit economy without freedom of movement is a question many would rather not ask…

Whilst I was on my travels I popped into the station and found a cheese shop had set up store in readiness for the flood of homeward bound commuters. I normally visit on a Wednesday to purchase some of the artisan bread for sale, but I was sorely tempted to sample some of today’s wares. I have to be careful as my wife can’t eat cheese, so for me it’s a rare treat.

Now I’m back at work, where (as is often the case) my workload hasn’t gone to plan and I’ve been diverted into trawling my archives for a suitable cover for a magazine! Let’s see if I can come up with something suitable…

A look at Huddersfield station

05 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by in Architecture, Food and drink, History, Huddersfield, Railways, Travel

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Don’t ask me about best laid plans, mine seem to change all the time! It’s one of the beauties and frustrations of being freelance! Today I’ve found myself working from the ACoRP (Association of Community Rail Partnerships) water tower cum office in Huddersfield which is part of the superb grade 1 listed station. How’s this for a place to work?

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

The water tower stands in what’s now a car park but in the 1960’s it was a locomotive stabling yard, complete with a turntable which was situated right outside the building.

I love Huddersfield’s architecture. Well, most of it anyway. George Square outside the station is surrounded by a selection of stunning Victorian buildings that make a fantastic backdrop for the annual food and drink festival which is held over 4 days in August.

DG160608. Wilson statue outside the station. Huddersfield. 22.9.13..JPG

The grand entrance to Huddersfield station seen from the square, complete with statue of former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was born in the town in 1916

 

DG60541. Crowds. Huddersfield food drink festival. 14.8.10.

The food and drink festival in the square outside the station. The building on the left is the (closed) George Hotel which was the place where Rugby league was born.

The station’s a real community hub. Not only is it the gateway to the town, it’s also a destination in its own right. It’s most well-known for its two pubs (The Head of Steam and the Kings Head) and Felix, the station cat (who even has its own Facebook page). But there’s a lot more too – as well as having a warm and welcoming café on the island platforms which does a mean bacon teacake (as they call them in these parts) the lobby hosts a range of food providers on different days of the week. For example, on Wednesdays you can buy artisan breads from this stall. The area also doubles as an exhibition space for local artists.

DG176254. Handmade bakery selling loaves at Huddersfield station. 16.4.14

Here’s a look inside the Kings Head pub on the Leeds end of the station. It’s undergone a fantastic restoration job in the past few years, which has exposed the wonderful ceiling and reopened side rooms. The work’s led to it winning a Railway Heritage award.

DG283267. Interior of the Kings Head on the station. Huddersfield. 4.10.17

So, what’s not to like? Trains, food, beer and architecture. If you’ve never been to Huddersfield station before – why not pay a visit? But beware, because it’s on the Rail Ale trail it can get extremely busy at weekends – and if Huddersfield Town are playing at home it can be bonkers, so I’d recommend a weekday if you can make it.