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Rolling blog: Out to Anglia.
19 Thursday Jul 2018
Posted in ACoRP, I love my job, London, Railways, Travel
Tag Archives: I love my job
My brain hurts!
06 Friday Jul 2018
Posted in I love my job, Railways, Travel
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After a few days chasing up and down the country getting scenic rail shots my wings have been clipped today. I’ve spent it working from the ACoRP office in Huddersfield as the tempo changes next week and my fellow judge and I begin the ‘grand tour’ of the 24 UK railway stations which have been shortlisted for visits in this years ACoRP awards.
The logistics of it make my brain hurt. This year there’s a few wild-cards to add to the mix due to continued industrial action, temporary timetables and the fact we’re having the longest bout of sunny weather that I can remember donkey’s years! On the bright side, some of those station floral displays should look fabulous!
Expect a few ‘rolling blogs’ as Paul Cook and I tour the network over the next few weeks. In the meantime, here’s a shot that I took on the Windermere branch yesterday now Northern Rail have resumed services.
After the excitement of West Cost Railways operating loco-hauled trains the service has become a little more mundane. Not that ordinary passengers care as a train with wide sliding doors is easier to negotiate with luggage than heavy slam doors on old coaches. Compare that with this…
Have a good weekend everybody! now I’m off for one of these…
Rolling blog: Wednesday wanderings
04 Wednesday Jul 2018
Posted in I love my job, Railways, Transport, Travel
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After a rare day at home I’m on the move again. This time I’m off to explore (in detail) the railway from Bidston to Wrexham. I’ve traversed it several times but never stopped off anywhere on the route. Today I’ll be putting that right, so expect some notes and pictures.
Right now I’m crossing the Pennines on the beautiful Calder Valley route. The skies are picture perfect again, clear blue with just a wisp of cloud here and there. I honestly can’t remember when we’ve had so many days of unbroken sunshine. They bring back memories of childhood, when your mind remembers every day like that!
Stopping to change trains at Manchester Victoria I was stuck by how many ex-GWR diesel units were working services. Here’s 153305 (in a neutral white livery) with much-travelled 150129 (ex-Centro, ex-Silverlink, ex-GWR).
My onward train to Liverpool was another recent addition to the Northern fleet as it was an ex-Thameslink Class 319 electric. These 4 car 100 mph have made a huge difference to services as they’ve replaced 2-car Class 156 diesels. Despite the doubling in capacity, my train is 85% full! By the time we reached Rainhill even the vestibules were rammed.
On arrival at Lime St we pulled into one of only two working platforms as the station’s in the middle of an extensive rebuilding programme which will see platforms extended, extra ones added and the track layout modernised and resignalled.
I always laugh when I see work like this and remember Hs2 antis perennial refrain “invest in the existing network instead”. If they could be bothered to get out of their armchairs to take a look around the UK network they’d know we’re doing exactly that. The problem is, it soaks up what little capacity we have left on our existing main lines, leaving nothing for the future. Here’s how Lime St is looking right now.
Moving on by Merseyrail I crossed under the river and emerged into the daylight at Birkenhead before arriving at Bidston, a small Island platform station which is the junction for the Borderlands line to Wrexham. I’m old enough to remember when this service ran as far as Birkenhead, before it was cut back to Bidston. In those days the area was busy with freight. Iron ore was imported through the docks and moved to Shotton steelworks by rail. The infrastructure’s all long gone now. Instead, an hourly passenger service run by Arriva Trains Wales is the sole survivor.
For many years the line was worked by single car Class 153s. Nowadays 2 car Class 150s are the norm.
My first stop on the service was Shotton, where I came to photograph what’s become the symbol of the line – the triple span bridge over the River Dee.
The bridge is only a short walk from the stations. Yep, Shotton’s graced with both high level and low level! The low level station’s fairly recent. Built on the former Chester to Holyhead railway, the platforms are on what was the slow lines when this was a four-track railway.
Shotton is an odd little place. It owes its existance to the nearby steelworks established by John Summers (and now owned by Tata). At its height it employed 13,200 people. Now it’s around a 1000. The towns fortunes reflect that of the steelworks. My first memories of the place are from the early 1970s when I’d encourage my dad to take this route on the way to family holidays with relatives on Anglesey as it followed the railway, allowing me to try and see the trains. Sometimes my parents and sisters would humour me – other times not.
Now this bastion of heavy industry is a shadow of it’s former self (like many UK locations). I’m always truck by this when I travel across Germany, a country which still possess these places. Shooton seems to rely on the pensioned-off (hence the size of the towns Wetherspoons) and also the nearby Airbus aircraft plant at Broughton – which is under threat from Brexit. It’s deeply ironic to think tbat nostalgia for the past and heavy industries is putting the future of towns like Shotton at risk.
20:30
I’m now back in the bosom of West Yorkshire, heading home on the Calder Valley line again. I managed to get the scenic shots on the Borderlands that I needed but the further South I went towards Wrexham, the more the clouds started to creep in. Here’s an example, taken just outside Cefyn-y-Bedd station which can be seen in the background.
Having the shots in the can I made my way back to Shotton low level to catch a train to Chester which is only 15 minutes away. This gave me time to get a few shots at yet another boyhood haunt before catching a direct train to Manchester. I’m not sure if these are the regular units on the service but I have to say a two car Class 150 is less than ideal – even if they have been refurbished to a high standard.
Tomorrow I’m off again, so I’ll draw this blog to a close.
Judgement day.
29 Friday Jun 2018
Posted in ACoRP, Community rail, I love my job, Photography
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!
Rolling blog: Here we go again…
28 Thursday Jun 2018
Posted in I love my job, Railways, Travel
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Another day, another train! This morning I’m off to Shrewsbury to do a job for RAIL magazine. We’re visiting the largest mechanical signalbox on the UK, which I’m rather looking forward to!
Right now I’m heading across the Pennines via the Colne valley from Huddersfield rather than my usual route. I’ve not been this way since the timetable change, so it seems odd being on a TPE 185 that’s stopping at Marsden and Greenfield! One thing I did notice was how Network Rail have been busy clearing trees and bushes from the lineside. The work’s opened up new vistas on this scenic line.
As is often the case the Standedge tunnel doesn’t just seperate Yorkshire from Lancashire, it was the border between weather patterns too. High cloud and haze that was a feature in white rose territory gave way to clear blue sky in red rose land!
Shrewsbury. 10:57.
My time in Manchester was brief. I was there long enough to swap trains and head off again, this time with Arriva Trains Wales on one of their Alstom built Class 175s. For passenger comfort they’re hard to beat. The service was busy at first but only as far as Wilmslow, which was a bit of a surprise. I’d bagged a bay of 4 seats with a table so that I could catch up on editing some of the pictures I’ve taken over the past few days (expect a load to appear on my website over the weekend). In fact I was so engrossed Shrewsbury arrived in a blur! Now I’m swilling coffee in the station’s Starbucks, waiting for Paul Stephen from RAIL to arrive.
Shrewsbury’s a stunning station…
Now, if you’ve never been to Shrewsbury and you’re unfamiliar with Severn Bridge Junction signalbox, here it is in the background.
18:47. Recrossing the Pennines.
I’ve had a fasinating day thanks to Network Rail staff who gave Paul and I a brilliant tour of the largest mechanical signalbox left in the UK. You’ll be able to read all about it in a future edition of RAIL. Today was an ideal time to visit as the weather was perfect. It’s a heck of a vantage point being that high above the station triangle.
Was was less than ideal was the weather’s impact on my journey home. Speed restrictions were placed on several lines to to the danger of excessive heat buckling rails, so I had several nail-bitingly tight connections which left me missing my final one by a couple of minutes. Luckily, there’s more services in the new timetable so I’ll only be 17 mins adrift by the time I get home. I’m heading back on an old friend, 150120. This unit used to be one of the Silverlink fleet which worked my local line in London – the Gospel Oak to Barking. When the Class 172s arrived it transferred to First Great Western. Now it’s been cascaded to Northern!
Home. 22.14
It’s been a long day and I’ve got to start wearing another hat as an ACoRP awards judge tomorrow, so I thought I’d leave you with this picture. Ever wondered what the view might be like from Severn Bridge Junction signalbox? Here it is! Thanks to Paul Stephen for taking the picture.
Rolling blog: Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside!
26 Tuesday Jun 2018
Posted in I love my job, Photography, Railways, Travel
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– That’s probably because I grew up in a seaside town. Today I’m heading to the opposite coast and a rail line that’s one of only a handful I’ve never travelled on, the section of the ‘Poacher Line’ from Sleaford to Skegness. The weather’s ideal for scenic pictures so I’m hoping to have a productive day.
Right now I’m on a busy 2-car Northern service from Halifax to Leeds. Most of my fellow travellers are commuters, but a handful are dressed for leisure, not work and look far too happy to be heading to the office! I’m assuming they’re like me and taking full advantage of the brilliant weather…
My little train seems to be suffering. At every stop the Driver’s revving the engines making the whole carriage vibrate under the load. I can’t help wondering if it’s because he’s having problems maintaining air pressure. I’m hoping we’ll make it to Leeds without problems as I’ve suffered enough delays recently and I’ve a fair way to travel…
09:15
Well, we did make it to Leeds and a quick word with the driver confirmed falling air pressure was the cause of the engine revving. We still arrived in just enough time for me to catch LNER’s 09:16 to London which will carry me as far as Grantham. Outwardly there was nothing to herald the change from VTEC to LNER. The loco still carries Virgin branding and the sets in VTEC livery, but on the inside the route maps, cctv warnings and other signs have changed.
The train’s actually very busy leaving Leeds but I did manage to bag an airline seat in coach F. I suspect there’ll be none left at all by the time we’ve stopped at Wakefield and Doncaster.
Grantham. 10.57.
As predicted, the train did indeed fill up on its way South. Even so it was an enjoyable journey only slightly marred by the fact the power sockets were u/s. The countryside that flashed by looked its absolute best in this weather. England is truly a green and pleasant land when seen from a train window.
Now I’m at Grantham. A peculiar two hour gap in the timetable means I’ve more than an hour to wait although I’ve put it to good use by doing some shopping in the centre named after Isaac Newton (was he from here, really?). Back at the station I’m now doing my best ‘reptile basking in the sun’ impression whilst grabbing a few photos.
The station’s a fairly middle of the road, 4 platform affair. It’s not unattractive but it’s nothing special. At least most of the original buildings survived BR – which is more than can be said for many. There’s a ticket office and Starbucks in the main building (plus a Costa kiosk), a couple of commercial tenants too – but still plenty of unoccupied space, which is a shame – but I suspect the station’s just that little bit too far removed from the town centre to make it attractive. Still if you want the opportunity to add the station to the growing list of those with bars…
Non-stop services certainly thunder through here. The Up line is clear for 115 off the platform and it wouldn’t surprise me if the down lines not far behind.
11:45.
My 11:27’s running late. It’s now arrived in the shape of an East Mids 2 car Class 158 with all the hopper windows open (indicating the A/c has failed). Surprisingly, It’s not as rammed as I feared and I’ve managed to get a seat. We’re now on our way 20 mins late. The Conductor’s just announced it was late due to a set swap at Nottingham as the original unit failed!
Skegness. 21:01.
Well, I didn’t expect to still be here, but it’s been a really interesting day for a whole host of reasons. I’m going to round this blog off but I could write volumes…
The weather’s been so good and the opportunities to explore new track and territory so tempting that I’ve booked a B&B for the night. To be honest, at £32 it was a steal. The room is fine, the staff are good and I’ve finally found out what everybody does after 6.30pm when the town shuts down – they all bugger off back to their hotel and sit in the bar. Admittedly, mine is a bit more like God’s waiting room on tap, but there you go…
Earlier on I mentioned that I grew up in a seaside town on the opposite coast. What I wasn’t prepared for were the similarities. Both are flat, rich agricultural land. So much so that I felt totally at home traversing the tracks across Lincolnshire. The only major difference is the massive drainage ditches here compare to the West Lancashire plains. Oh, and the fact Skegness is a little bit different to Southport. In its day, the seaside town I grew up in was habituated by the middle classes who left their legacy in the facilities that that had been built to cater for them. The working classes went to nearby Blackpool. Skegness is the East coast Blackpool. I’ve not seen so many fish and chip shops per acre for ages. I’d be curious to see which of the two resorts would win on that count. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some lovely old hangovers from the past on the promenade, although I feel it’s fair game for me to look at what passes for a pier here and say ‘is that it’? The fact most of the town puts the shutters up early I find odd too. I wandered down to the promenade to take pictures of the offshore windfarm and bumped into a group of young Asian lads who were here on holiday. After they asked (and I explained) ‘yes, it does all seem to shut early’ we got into conversation & found we were all from Yorkshire (them Bradford, me Halifax). Small world eh?
Whilst I’ve been here I’ve indulged in a life-long hobby. People-watching. In some ways I feel rather like David Attenborough! What can I say, other than the UK’s obesity epidemic is alive and well in Skegness. It may be down to all the chip-shops but to be honest, if you opened a branch of Weightwatchers here, you’d need to be open 24/7 just to make an impression. Oh, and let’s not even get into the ‘Death Race 2000’ with mobility scooters…
OK, enough impressions. I’ve a busy day tomorrow as I’ve reconnoitred several photo locations – all of which I’ll be walking to. I’ve covered 14 miles today, so it’s time to relax a bit.
Watch out for pictures appearing soon…
Best laid plans…
19 Tuesday Jun 2018
Posted in ACoRP, I love my job, Railways, Travel
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So much for my quiet week at home! I’m currently sat on Grand Central’s 10:35 Halifax-Kings cross service en-route to the capital thanks to a very short-notice press call (all will be revealed tomorrow). I’ll get back home Wednesday but it’s certainly altered my workload.
It doesn’t look like I’ll be at home much in July either. Yesterday was the final day for entries to the 2018 ACoRP awards. I’m a judge of the ‘It’s your station’ category (along with Paul Cook of the Royal Horticultural Society) and l’ve just seen how many entries there are this year. 29! These are dotted around the country, from Scotland to Devon and East Anglia to Merseyside. ‘All’ I have to do now is work out how we get to visit them all!
At least I’ve got a few hours on the train to get some picture editing done. Watch out for some appearing later…
Another mad week begins!
11 Monday Jun 2018
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The old expression “feast or famine” springs to mind this week as I find myself with one of those weeks where there’s just too much happening at the same time, leaving me with an interesting exercise in logistics and juggling.
Right now I’m off to Manchester to check on rail improvement work and the effects of the timetable ‘difficulties’. I’ll report back on what I find. At least my train from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester’s only a minute late. It’s 158905, which is one of the DMUs West Yorkshire PTE funded ‘back in the day’. It’s still providing sterling service, even if it’s carrying a lighter load than usual today.
Funnily enough, I’ve just passed one of its sister units at Hebden Bridge which is still carrying Scotrail livery (158871). It’s the delayed cascade of units like 871 that’s contributed to Northern’s present difficulties
Tomorrow, the fun starts in earnest. I’m attending the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders conference in Leeds then heading straight down to London in readiness for an early morning flight to Germany. I’m part of a Siemens press trip which will preview some of their new products ahead of the massive Innotrans trade fair in Berlin in September. It’s going to be a busy couple of days in Germany but as soon as I land I have to dash again – this time to Crewe as I’ve volunteered to take the pictures on the Railway Children charities annual ‘3 peaks by rail’ fundraiser. This is only being made possible by my long-suffereing wife, Dawn – who will be meeting me (fleetingly) in London for a rapid kit change! Hopefully (Heathrow customs permitting) I’ll make it to Crewe in time to catch the train. If not, I’ll be catching up with them in Bangor at some God-awful hour!
The ‘3 Peaks by rail’ event lasts from Thursday evening until Saturday evening, when I should land back in Preston in time to get home. Last year that didn’t happen. One of the pair of Class 37s had to be changed at Carlisle so we were late and I had to stay over in Manchester. I’m hoping for better luck this time. Dawn’s on standby with the car, just in case…
As you can see, there’s going to be plenty to shoot and write about, so watch this space…
15.37.
Right now I’m returning from a look at electrification of and expansion to Bolton station. The delays to this project are another reason for Northern’s problems…
Best laid plans…
18 Sunday Feb 2018
Posted in Charities, I love my job, The Railway Children
Well, I had planned to spend a few hours catching up on blogging today but in the finest tradition of Harold Macmillan, events got in the way. That said, there’s going to be plenty to blog about in the next few days. I head back to London tomorrow for a day’s photography in the capital. Apparently, there’s a StopHs2 demonstration outside the High Court as the DfT’s taking out an injunction out against the Harvil Rd protesters. I might just swing by to see how few Hs2 antis turn out to protest. After that I have a job to do for one of the railway industry magazines.
Tuesday is a day I’m really looking forward to as I’ll be on the Eurostar press trip launching their new service from London to Amsterdam. Expect a few tweets from @paulbigland1 during the day!
After that I’m heading back to Yorkshire, ramping up my cycle training as I’m off to India at the beginning of March to take part in the ‘Ride India’ charity cycle ride to raise money for the Railway Children charity. Indian phone reception and internet permitting – expect regular updates about that too…
London calling…
30 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in I love my job, London, Rail Investment, Transport, Travel
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Despite having plenty to blog about the one thing I haven’t had is time. I’m 2/3 through my commission in private residential old people’s homes in North London and it’s absorbed nearly all my time, but here’s a quick update.
As expected, it’s been a fascinating couple of days. The staff at the two homes I’ve visited have been inspiring. The level of care and attention they give to residents (who all have different needs and levels of support) is bloody hard work. It’s not a job for the casual or the faint-hearted. I’ve also met some lovely residents and heard their stories. The whole experience has been uplifting – if sometimes sad when you see the ravages of dementia on people who obviously shone before the onset of such a cruel disease.
I’ve also reacquainted myself with commuting across London by public transport. It’s not something have had to do for a long time. When I lived in North London but worked in the East my daily commute was by bicycle. It was the same when I did relief shifts on newspapers based at Canary Wharf. Once I turned to photography my commute was never normally to the same place more than two days in a row.
Since those days London’s population’s grown – as has the number of people commuting in. Today I was using Thameslink services from Herne Hill to Kentish Town & expecting that the new 8-car Siemens Class 700s might have provided a bit of breathing space compared to the Class 319s they’d replaced. Not a bit of it. The trains were rammed – despite all the extra space they provide. It was like being on the tube! It was the same with 12 car trains I saw passing through. Now, these trains are people movers. The 8 cars can carry 1146 and the 12’s take 1754 souls. If they’re already full it’s clear the full 24tph timetable through the Thameslink core can’t come soon enough…
Despite the fact this thing’s a real people-mover and there’s several an hour, I had to flag the first two as I just couldn’t squeeze on. This was 3rd time lucky.
Paul Bigland 